At the Lucid Investor Day event in New York, Lucid revealed more details about its upcoming Midsize platform and unveiled an all-new Lunar robotaxi concept.
Our very own Tom Moloughney had an opportunity to see the Lucid Lunar in person and was quite impressed.
The Lucid Lunar is a purpose-built EV for autonomous driving, so it does not have a steering wheel or pedals. It has only two seats because research shows that 90-95% of robotaxis’ use cases are rides with one or two passengers. In front of the passengers, there will be a long display, which is promised to offer an engaging user experience.
In the back, there is a very large trunk, but Lucid has also provided a spacious cabin where smaller items or bags can be stored without opening the trunk.
Lucid Lunar: Two-Seat Robotaxi Concept (Image credit: Lucid)
Lucid Lunar: Two-Seat Robotaxi Concept (Image credit: Lucid)
Ultra Efficiency
The car, if approved for commercialization, would be based on Lucid’s new Midsize platform.
A major difference between standard EVs on the same platform will be even higher energy efficiency, up to 5.5-6.0 miles/kWh.
Lucid Lunar: Two-Seat Robotaxi Concept (Image credit: Lucid)
200 Miles in 15 Minutes
Lucid says the Lunar can replenish over 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.
The company does not say the total range or battery capacity, as it’s simply too early for such specs. However, considering the target driving efficiency (5.5-6.0 miles/kWh), we can estimate that 200 miles would require a battery capacity of 33-36 kWh. Recharging such an amount of energy in 15 minutes means an average charging power of 132-144 kW.
It will be interesting to see whether the final version relies on DC fast charging. Tesla chose wireless charging and does not even want a charging port on its robotaxi. In the end, the market conditions and use case will determine the solution.
Lucid Lunar: Two-Seat Robotaxi Concept (Image credit: Lucid)