News
Lucid Motors is raising capital to fund development of its $700M Arizona factory

Ultra-luxury electric car startup Lucid Motors is raising capital to fund development on a planned $700 million electric vehicle factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.
The company spoke with The Motley Fool about its latest Series D round of funding.
“The manufacturing facility will have three phases, the first of which is expected to cost $240 million. That should allow the company to ramp up to producing about 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles per year, with production commencing in 2019. Only after all three stages are completed (expected around 2022 if all goes well) will the total investment reach $700 million. At that point, the factory should have annual production capacity of 130,000 vehicles.”
The proposed plan for Lucid’s Case Grande factory is to build it in three phases. The goal for the $240 million first phase is to produce roughly 8,000 to 10,000 Lucid Air per year beginning in 2019, followed by additional investments in the years to come until a production goal of 130,000 vehicles per year is reached, around 2022.
Though Lucid’s initial production targets are modest by comparison to Tesla which produced over 90,000 vehicles last year, the numbers reflect an upbeat early production and growth target similar to one Tesla originally started with. Building an electric car or any car for that matter is no easy task especially for a newcomer. Lucid has an advantage in that consumer acceptance of premium all-electric vehicles is already here. There’s wide acceptance that a premium Tesla Model S and Model X is tech-laden and comes with a hefty price point. However, add to that a lower base price that undercuts the Tesla Model S by just over $10,000 before incentives and Lucid’s angle on the market is clear.
DON’T MISS: Lucid Air reviewed by MKBHD: inside the ultra-luxury ‘private jet on wheels’
The Air will be powered by high performance lithium ion battery cells built in partnership with Samsung SDI. Lucid Chief Technology Officer shared with The Motley Fool, “The cell chemistry that we’ve co-developed with Samsung is groundbreaking in that it is very tolerant to repeated, cyclic fast-charging.”
Lucid Motors has a strategic partnership with ex-Tesla Autopilot partner Mobileye which will supply some of the autonomous driving technology built on a foundation of LiDAR, radar sensors and cameras. Instead of implementing an obtrusive roof mounted LiDAR sensor, Lucid is planning to utilize peripheral LiDAR sensors that are embedded into the sides of the vehicle. It’s the same type of sensors that were recently spotted on the Tesla Model S seen testing with LiDAR sensors near Tesla’s Silicon Valley-based headquarters.
Rawlinson also made it clear that the Air is not just another Tesla look alike: “there’s a tendency to frame Lucid as a ‘Tesla killer,’ but such comparisons miss the point. This car isn’t a Model S competitor; it’s the next step forward. I certainly don’t see it as a ‘Tesla killer’.”

News
Ford has sent out all of its replacement Tesla NACS adapters
The new adapters have made their way to nearly 140,000 owners, along with being listed for sale online.

Ford says it has officially sent out replacement adapters for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), after the automaker announced last fall that the original hardware sent to customers could damage owners’ charging ports.
In a press release on Tuesday, Ford said that it has sent out all 139,936 free NACS adapters to owners of its electric vehicles (EVs), following the company’s notice in October that customers should return their original adapters due to them causing potential vehicle damage. Following the shipment of the complimentary adapters, which will allow Ford EVs to charge at Tesla’s Superchargers, the automaker has also listed the equipment for $200 on its web store.
In addition to fast-chargers with the CCS hardware, Ford owners can use the NACS adapter to charge at the over 17,800 Tesla Superchargers across North America, and without fear of damaging their charging ports. The company initially began sending out the replacement adapters the last week of October, after recommending that customers stop using the initially-supplied adapter immediately.
Along with potentially damaging the charging port, Ford said that the old adapters could also result in decreased charging speeds over time.
READ MORE ON FORD: Ford responds to strange rumor that Tesla and Elon Musk acquired it
Ford’s latest NACS adapter was developed by Lectron, and it’s rated for up to 500 amps and 1,000 volts, according to the product listing. It also comes with a three-year warranty from the date of purchase, and is rated for IP67 dust and water resistance rating. Additionally, Ford says it can be operated in temperatures from -22 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ford was the first other automaker to gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network last January, after also being the first to officially adopt NACS the previous year. Following Ford, the rest of the industry slowly announced plans to adopt the standard, and Tesla has been rolling out access one brand at a time over the last several months.
Ford F-150 Lightning feels the pressure from Tesla Cybertruck
News
Donald Trump pledges Tesla purchase amid anti-Musk protests
Trump noted that he would be buying a brand-new Tesla “as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk.”

While the news cycle today may be filled today with reports of Tesla vehicles being vandalized and stores being the site of aggressive protests and attacks, some key players in American politics seem to be rallying around the electric vehicle maker.
The most notable is U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated that he would be purchasing a Tesla to support Elon Musk.
Musk pushback and Tesla attacks
Elon Musk is heavily involved in the Trump administration, thanks to his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is designed to eliminate waste in the federal government. Amidst DOGE’s efforts, critics have rallied against Musk, and some have targeted Tesla. Over the past months, numerous Tesla stores have been vandalized, and some have been shot up and attacked with Molotov cocktails. Tesla vehicles were not spared, as cars from Cybertrucks to Model Ys became the target of protesters who are against the CEO.
Unfortunately, some Tesla owners on social media have noted that the attacks against their vehicles have resulted in some people getting physically hurt. Musk has also confirmed that he has been receiving a notable amount of death threats.
Trump rallies around Tesla
Trump appears to be aware that a large part of the efforts against Elon Musk and his companies were due to the CEO’s support and work for his administration. With this in mind, Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he would be buying a brand-new Tesla “as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk,” who he called a “truly great American.”
Following is Trump’s post in its entirety:
“To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,‘ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.
“They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out? In any event, l’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American. Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???”
Musk was very appreciative of the U.S. President’s pledge, thanking Trump in a post on X, his social media platform.
Elon Musk
Tesla stock predicted to rebound +90% within the next year: Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley sees Tesla’s 50% drop as a chance to buy! Analyst Adam Jonas predicts a +90% rebound fueled by AI development.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas predicts Tesla stocks will rebound over 90% within the next year.
Jonas reiterated his overweight rating for TSLA and still considers Tesla a top-pick stock. Tesla’s share price recently dipped 50% compared to its high record in December 2024. The Morgan Stanley analysts set a $430 price target for Tesla.
Jonas’ TSLA price target hints that he believes Tesla’s stock could rebound roughly 93% from its current value. Morgan Stanley sees Tesla’s current share price of $223.59–as of this writing–as a buying.
“We see the pullback as a buying opportunity for an embodies [artificial intelligence] compounder,” said Jonas in a recent note.
Jonas acknowledged Tesla’s challenges, including reduced sales, the company’s souring brand sentiment, and “a de-grossing of the market.” He pointed out that Tesla’s reputation is being reshaped as media narratives focus on Elon Musk’s political activities instead of the company’s efforts in AI.
The Morgan Stanley analyst has a $200 bear case scenario on Tesla, which he believes the stock could reach. On the other hand, he also believes Tesla stocks could rebound and reach his $800 bull case scenario within the next 12 months.
Jonas believes there will be a few catalysts that could bring TSLA stock back up. For instance, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Unsupervised will be available for paid rideshare services later this year in Texas. While the Tesla Cybercab is still in the distant future, FSD Unsupervised rides with the Model 3 or Model Y would showcase the potential of the company’s robotaxi fleet.
-
News4 days ago
Tesla at risk of 95% crash, claims billionaire hedge fund manager
-
News6 days ago
SpaceX announces Starship Flight 8’s new target date
-
News4 days ago
Tesla contract with Baltimore paused after city ‘decided to go in a different direction’
-
News1 week ago
Tesla launches fresh U.S. promotions for the Model 3
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
Tesla mulls adding a new feature to fight off vandals as anti-Musk protests increase
-
Elon Musk5 days ago
Tesla UK sales up over 20% despite Elon Musk backlash
-
News5 days ago
Starship Flight 8: SpaceX nails Super Heavy booster catch but loses upper stage
-
News6 days ago
One dozen Teslas burn in arson attack in France, investigation underway