Lucid Motors shows off robotaxi concept called ‘Lunar’

Lucid Motors has debuted a robotaxi conception conveyance that it’s calling the “Lucid Lunar,” which it showed disconnected astatine an capitalist time connected Thursday successful New York City.

It’s a two-seater conveyance with nary steering instrumentality oregon pedals, designed to beryllium built connected the aforesaid underlying level that Lucid Motors is processing for its upcoming “mid-size” bid of electrical vehicles, the institution said.

Interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said Lucid was already “working on” Lunar and that it would debut aft the institution launches its mid-size vehicles, but the institution aboriginal clarified to TechCrunch that determination is nary progressive improvement happening connected the dedicated robotaxi — yet.

Lucid Motors besides said Thursday that it is adjacent an statement with Uber to collaborate connected a robotaxi based connected 1 of the mid-size vehicles Lucid has successful the pipeline. Lucid Motors is presently moving with autonomous conveyance institution Nuro to marque an autonomous mentation of the Gravity SUV that volition motorboat connected Uber’s web by the extremity of this twelvemonth successful the San Francisco area. Nuro and Lucid would not corroborate whether this caller conveyance volition usage Nuro’s technology.

The announcements came adjacent the extremity of Lucid’s capitalist day, but amusement that the institution is progressively focused connected trying to physique up a concern astir autonomy that tin supplement its electrical conveyance sales. At 1 constituent during the presentation, Lucid Motors displayed a barroom illustration that showed however it expects robotaxi concern gross to greatly eclipse the wealth it makes from licensing its electrical conveyance tech, though determination was nary statement connected the Y-axis.

Lucid is besides looking to marque immoderate wealth connected its partial autonomy play. The institution revealed that it plans to connection monthly subscriptions for its DreamDrive Pro that standard up with accrued capableness starting successful the archetypal fractional of 2027. Owners tin wage $69 per period for the lowest operator assistance level, oregon arsenic overmuch arsenic $199 per period for self-driving capableness that won’t necessitate the operator to instrumentality implicit astatine immoderate point. (Lucid Motors has inactive not developed that much precocious capableness yet, nor has immoderate different automaker, it should beryllium noted.)

The institution shared a descent Thursday that said autonomy subscriptions “are the azygous biggest bundle monetization opportunity.” It’s thing that Tesla has been doing for a portion with its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software, and it’s a akin attack to what Rivian announced astatine its ain “Autonomy & AI Day” successful precocious December.

Also similar Rivian, Lucid Motors is moving connected its ain in-cabin AI assistant. The institution is aiming to marque the adjunct susceptible of doing elemental tasks similar turning the aerial conditioning up oregon down, oregon handling analyzable queries similar uncovering “something to bash that’s a small unique, possibly disconnected the beaten path, and possibly has benignant of a maritime oregon nautical vibe.” It’s not wide however good that works close now; Lucid Motors’ effort to demo the adjunct unrecorded during the lawsuit failed, and the institution alternatively showed a pre-recorded video.

The remainder of Lucid’s lawsuit focused heavy connected the company’s attempts to thrust down the outgo of manufacturing its vehicles, arsenic good arsenic its efforts to propulsion the boundaries of the ratio of its electrical drivetrain. Those volition beryllium important components of making the mid-sized vehicles affordable (they’re expected to commencement astir $50,000) erstwhile the archetypal 1 hits the marketplace by the extremity of this year. The institution revealed that 1 volition beryllium known arsenic the Lucid Cosmos, with the 2nd conveyance volition beryllium called the Lucid Earth. The 3rd sanction was not announced connected Thursday.