The automotive industry is one of the areas that has long been dominated by men; this is something that Lucid Motors wants to change. With more women in leading positions, Lucid wants to break down old values in order to pave the way for new standards for the luxury electric vehicles (EVs) of the future.

During the next half of 2021—after some major delays announced last week—Lucid Motors will start delivering its first factory produced cars to the market. Several female engineers played important roles in the design and development work on the Lucid Air, which took place on Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The Lucid Air is designed with inspiration from optimized aerodynamics and with a user-focus. The trio of Sue Magnusson, Jenny Ha and Joann Jung are three of the leading engineers at the company who have been involved in developing the new car. It seemed apt to share their story on International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th.

“What distinguishes Lucid's design is the technology behind everything, where technology is developed and developed within the business. As the technology takes up little space, we have been able to design the car from the inside out, which has made it possible for exciting solutions such as more space inside the car,” says Sue Magnusson, Associate Director, CMF.

A Powerful Design Trio. The elegant shape of Lucid Air is designed with inspiration from optimized aerodynamics and with a user-focus. The trio of Sue Magnusson, Jenny Ha and Joann Jung are three of the leading engineers at the company. Originally, the car was intended to begin being delivered during the start of 2021, but it was announced last week that deliveries of the produced cars will instead take place during the second half of this year. The company is headed by former Tesla engineer, Peter Rawlinson.

However, it is not just austere elegance being presented in the design language; it also showcases a power package with more than 1,000 horsepower and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds. Furthermore, this is the EV with quite possibly the longest EV range on the market at a range of 517 miles.

The original plan was for deliveries of the vehicle to begin this spring, but last week it was announced that they had to postpone until the second half of 2021.

A Mission To Inspire

Lucid Motors claims their mission is to inspire the use of sustainable transportation by creating the most captivating electric vehicles, centered around the human experience.

Of course, it sounds grandiose and the company's first car, the Lucid Air, is also an elegant luxury sedan with a California-inspired design supported by proven racing technology.

In the case of the Lucid Air, being inspired by aerodynamics means that the company's engineers have chosen a different path than traditional luxury sedans. Instead of a large hood and rear, they have chosen to let the passenger compartment take up more space. This is a decision that led to Lucid Air becoming the most aerodynamic car in its class. Air resistance coefficients are set to 0.21, which can be compared to the Tesla Model S which has a corresponding figure of 0.24.

New Lucid Air model driveline and battery layout. Lucid Air claims to be the first electric vehicle offered with the combination of an advanced sensor suite, high-resolution LIDAR, a driver monitoring system and a fully redundant platform.

Driveline With Double Electric Machines

With luxurious interior space in a medium-sized car model, Air will be able to deliver more than 500 miles in range and an acceleration of 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in under 2.5 seconds. Customer deliveries of Lucid Air, which will be produced at Lucid's new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, will now begin in the second half of 2021.

Lucid Air has a driveline with double electric machines, one per shaft, which provides capacity to deliver over 1,300 horsepower; however, this has now been limited to just over 1,000 horsepower.

The battery capacity is 113 kWh, which should be able to cover just over 500 miles on a full charge. Energy consumption is 1,355 kWh/mile.

Furthermore, the battery system is 924 volts and through this it has been possible to increase the power when charging to 300 kW.

The pure-electric luxury car is expected to be the first to market to have the combination of a driver monitoring system and a sensor suite that includes high-resolution LIDAR, fitting these future-proofed technologies as standard equipment. The Lucid DreamDrive technology suite supports 19 key safety, driving and parking assist features that will be available on Lucid Air immediately upon start of production, with another eight features expected to be available later via over-the-air (OTA) updates. Additional DreamDrive capabilities to enable Level 3 autonomous driving in certain conditions are also in development.

“We have developed Lucid DreamDrive to be among the most advanced ADAS to ever be offered to consumers,” said Dr. Eugene Lee, senior director of ADAS and Autonomous Driving at Lucid Motors. “By prioritizing safety and updatability, Lucid DreamDrive also sets the stage for offering increasingly sophisticated driver assistance features. We have ensured that the Lucid DreamDrive hardware and software platform not only offers a full suite of Level 2 features, but is also Level 3 ready—which means we’ll be able to quickly add features and functions over-the-air throughout the lifetime of Lucid Air and for future Lucid models.”

Lucid Air will come to market with 32 sensors comprised of the latest camera, radar and ultrasonic sensors, as well as a long-range, high-resolution LIDAR placed at the front of the car. Also included in this multimodal sensor suite is an in-car driver monitoring system designed to share relevant information with the driver while ensuring their necessary attention to the driving configuration.

Close Cooperation Between a Separated Team

Back to the design, we must state that Lucid, as a new player in the market, has neither a legacy nor a design language to relate to. This opens up opportunities for creative design. Thanks to a close collaboration between the teams, an understanding and appreciation has been created for the priorities and limitations that exist in different areas, something that has affected the design.

“Cooperation has been a central part of our success,” says Jenny Ha, Lucid Motors’ Senior Designer, Exterior. “By working close to the other teams such as body, lighting and aerodynamics, we have been able to ensure that design follows function. For example, advances in lighting technology contributed to how we could design the headlights and taillights. Together, we push the boundaries of how a car can be designed. The lessons we have learned have resulted in a better product that differs from other brands and ultimately a good car for the consumer.”

Exact Details and Elegant Lines. The ambition has been for everyone in the car to feel special. Every detail should be exact in its design.

"Design For The User"

Designing a car is about our own experience of it, both the exterior and the interior, and every detail should be exact in its design. The ambition has been for everyone in the car to feel special.

”We design for the user, their feeling and comfort. The car's interior is part of a public environment at the same time, as it is a private space. We wanted to enhance it by making the design more exciting, such as the cockpit feel of the front seat and driver-oriented design in conjunction with a calmer environment in the rear seat. Future luxury is about giving yourself time, being kind to yourself and rewarding in a way that is better for the environment,” says Joann Jung, Design Director, Interior at Lucid Motors.

Pure Dassault Environment On The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

Finally, a few words about the PLM approach to the company. Here, Lucid Motors works in a fairly pure Dassault environment, built on the 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX) platform, with ENOVIA as the PDM system.

On the CAD side, they work with the 3DEXPERIENCE app CATIA and have also chosen to invest in Dassault when it comes to digital manufacturing management, where Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA suite is used.

Finally, what is the price level of this elegant vehicle? It starts at just under $70,000—not inexpensive, but it looks like a great electrical vehicle.