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Rising start up Lucid Motors with Tesla DNA lands Samsung SDI battery deal
Rising Silicon Valley-based Tesla rival, Lucid Motors, has just landed a battery supply deal with Samsung SDI. But first a little context on who Lucid Motors is.
Until a few months ago, Lucid Motors was better known as Atieva – the company best known for videos showing a Mercedes cargo van named Edna outgunning a Tesla Model S and a Ferrari in a drag race, helped by a 1,000 horsepower electric drivetrain.
Lucid Motors prototype in Los Angeles. Credit: Lucid Motors
Earlier this year, Jia Yueting, the high flying billionaire from China who is behind electric car company LeEco in his home country and Faraday Future in the United States, purchased a controlling interest in Atieva. In October, the company changed its name to Lucid Motors.
Since then, news about the company has been coming thick and fast. Lucid brought a lightly disguised four door sedan prototype to the Los Angeles Auto Show. The company says the car has a 1,000 horsepower fully electric powertrain and can go from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds. Lucid also claims the car will have a range of 400 miles, making it the long distance champion among electric cars currently available.
Shortly after the LA show, Lucid brought its prototype to Casa Grande, Arizona, a city southeast of Phoenix, to announce it would build a $700 million factory in the area. Arizona governor Doug Ducey was on hand to share the good news. Ducey and his administration were instrumental in getting the factory located in Arizona.
“It took a serious partnership of the state, county of Pinal, and city of Casa Grande to bring this deal together,” said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey in an exclusive interview with the Phoenix Business Journal. “We made an extra effort to bring another major manufacturing facility to Arizona.”
This week, Lucid announced it has landed Samsung SDI as the company’s battery supply partner. The company says that they are collaborating on “next-generation cylindrical cells that are able to exceed current performance benchmarks in areas such as energy density, power, calendar life and safety.” The cells are also being designed to withstand frequent rapid charging, which typically degrades conventional lithium ion batteries.
Lucid’s CTO and former chief Tesla engineer adds, “The breakthrough battery life demonstrated by the new cell from Samsung SDI will be of tangible benefit to our customers, particularly companies with ride-sharing services operating around the clock,”
Lucid Motors prototype in Casa Grande, Arizona. Photo credit: Eric Jay Toll, Phoenix Business Journal.
Rawlinson went on to say that Lucid plans to begin manufacturing cars in 2018 and will begin raising funds to build its factory in early 2017.
Building a factory from scratch and getting a car into production in under two years seems like ambitious goals, especially if the money to do both has yet to be found. But the question remains, will this car ever see production? We might be forgiven for maintaining a “wait and see” attitude on that subject.
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Hyundai seeks to expand EV sales in Europe with new Türkiye plant
With a new EV plant in Türkiye, Hyundai is charging toward 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in Europe by 2035.
Hyundai seeks to expand its electric vehicle (EV) sales in Europe with a plant in Türkiye.
The South Korean automaker’s new Izmit plant in Türkiye is expected to strengthen Hyundai’s production capacity while reducing its carbon footprint. The new plant will produce electric models alongside the internal combustion engine (ICE) cars it is currently building.
Production at Hyundai’s Izmit plant will support the company’s need to meet the European market’s demand for sustainable automobiles. The Izmit plant will likely boost EV production in Europe, along with Hyundai’s manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic. It will also get Hyundai one step closer to offering only zero-tailpipe emission vehicles in Europe by 2035.
Hyundai Motor Türkiye, formerly known as Hyundai Assan Otomotiv Sanayi, has been the company’s longest-serving overseas production hub outside of South Korea. It has produced over 3 million vehicles in more than 28 years. Hyundai’s overseas hub has built a network of over 50 local suppliers in Türkiye. Over 55% of the Izmit plant’s vehicle components are domestically manufactured.
News
Multiple Tesla Superchargers allegedly set on fire in MA
The case falls under the Arson Watch Reward Program, which offers up to $5,000 for information that solves, prevents, or detects arson crimes.
Multiple Tesla Supercharger stations were allegedly set on fire in Massachusetts (MA). The preliminary investigation into the Tesla charging station fires concluded they were “intentionally set.”
On Monday at approximately 1:10 a.m., the Littleton Police Department in Massachusetts received reports of fires at a Tesla Supercharger station in The Point Shopping Center.
“Responding officers observed that several Tesla charging stations were engulfed in flames and heavy, dark smoke,” noted the Littleton Police Department.
Police contacted the Littleton Electric Light & Water Department and requested to shut down power at the affected Tesla Supercharger stalls. However, before the electric light and water department could arrive, a new blaze started at another Tesla Supercharger.
After the flames were extinguished the fire at seven Tesla Supercharger stalls, a preliminary investigation started. No injuries were sustained in the fires. Tesla responded, stating that it will replace all the posts and wires at the station in less than 48 hours. The Littleton Police Department started a preliminary investigation into the Tesla Supercharger fire.
“Littleton Police and Fire Departments and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating and have determined that the fire appears to have been intentionally set.”
The case falls under the Arson Watch Reward Program, which rewards up to $5,000 for information that solves, prevents, or detects arson crimes.
News
Tesla’s NACS adapters hinted in code for future Apple Maps update
Apple Maps will soon warn EV owners when they need an adapter for routes that include Superchargers.
Navigation warnings referring to adapters for Tesla’s North America Charging Standard (NACS) are set to be added to Apple Maps in a future update, as spotted by one code sleuth this week.
On Monday, X user and code sleuth Aaronp613 shared code from a future iOS 18.4 beta update that includes Maps references to NACS charging adapters, warning drivers when such an adapter is required on certain navigation routes. The code looks like it includes a voice alert and heading message for the Apple Maps navigation system, which can be expected to be added in a future update.
The latest iOS version available at this time for iPhone and iPad is 18.3.1, according to Apple’s website. The anticipated update is also expected to arrive amidst increased cross-platform integration for vehicle owners, as many companies attempt to make it easier for electric vehicle (EV) owners to stay charged and keep tabs on their vehicles.
🚨 Apple looks to be prepping for the takeover of Tesla’s NACS charging connector. It will tell you if it is NACS-enabled or requires an adapter
This appears to be a feature that will be added to a future iOS version https://t.co/afD7qqsbge
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 3, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA SUPPORT FOR APPLE DEVICES: First look at Tesla’s app for the Apple Watch
Many Tesla and other-brand EV owners use an iPhone or other Apple devices, so integration between these and a person’s vehicles are becoming increasingly important. The automaker also launched an Apple Watch app as part of its holiday update in December, letting owners control their vehicles even from the wearable device.
Tesla has also been rolling out widespread access to its Supercharger network to other EV brands over the last several months, and the code is just the latest hint at updates focused on making it easier for consumers to use its charging stations. As more and more brands gain access, drivers of non-Tesla vehicles will also be using the Supercharger network in increasing volumes, making such alerts especially important for making sure new owners are informed and aware of what they might encounter on their navigation routes.
Companies across the industry announced partnerships to adopt Tesla’s NACS charging standard in future vehicle models throughout much of 2023, alongside plans to offer adapters to owners of existing vehicles with the CCS hardware.
Hyundai seeks to expand EV sales in Europe with new Türkiye plant
Multiple Tesla Superchargers allegedly set on fire in MA
Tesla’s NACS adapters hinted in code for future Apple Maps update
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