Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors (NASDAQ: LCID) is no stranger to bold statements when it comes to his company’s aspirations.
Unafraid of expressing his ambitions, Rawlinson has recently made it clear that he and his company, Lucid, are ready to take on the biggest fish in the sea, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA).
Rawlinson’s concerns over Tesla’s charging plug
Over the past few weeks, several giants from the automotive industry have struck deals with Tesla to start using the company’s vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). Tesla’s propriety North American Charging Standard (NACS) and its network of Supercharger stations are considered the gold standard by many, as highlighted by the company’s recent agreements with rival carmakers.
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Companies that have agreed to use the NACS recently include Ford Motors (NYSE: F), Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN), General Motors (NYSE: GM), Mercedes Benz, and Volvo, while numerous others are in talks with Elon Musk’s EV maker.
However, Rawlinson believes that the hype around Tesla’s charging standard is over the top. Notably, while Lucid’s boss acknowledged that Lucid will likely be joining fellow automakers when it comes to adopting the NACS plug, the switch is not likely before SAE International officially standardizes the plug.
Additionally, Rawlinson also raised questions about who will obtain access to consumer data through Tesla Superchargers, referring to the fact that details such as credit card and driving cycle information will be available.
“Whoever controls this — if it isn’t an open, impartial standard, if it’s owned by one company — has access to a lot of consumer data,” he said. “It’s who owns that data, and making it genuinely open-sourced, that would worry me.”
– Rawlinson said.
He added:
“What we’re really comparing is, is it a screw cap or is it a cork on the bottle, not the quality of the wine. It’s rather bizarre.”
Interestingly, Rawlinson was involved in the design of Tesla’s charging plug while he was working as a head engineer of the Model S.
Lucid to announce Model S, Model 3 rival vehicles
In a separate interview with Auto Express, Rawlinson outlined Lucid’s plans regarding the company’s future vehicle launches.
The Newark, California-based EV manufacturer said that after the new Lucid Air and an SUV called ‘Gravity,’ it plans on releasing two more vehicles to compete with Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y.
He said that the new cars will have a price tag of “around $50,000, maybe $48,000,” although it is still too early to say.
Referring to them as “Model 3 and Model Y competitors,” it is clear that Rawlinson is confident that Lucid’s upcoming products have what it takes to challenge Tesla’s dominance in the EV market.
However, it is important to remember that despite its sophisticated technology and vast potential, Lucid is still an unprofitable business, while Tesla is by far the largest EV company in the world.
Tesla’s market share in 2022 stood at an impressive 62%, though analysts expect it to decline in the future due to intensifying competition.
