Lucid Motors Is Set To Roll Out Its Luxury Electric Car 'Air' From Its Factory In The Desert
Lucid Motors has managed to keep up with the establishment of its upcoming production centre. Based in the Arizona desert the plant is expected to be roll out its first produce by this years end. The 720000-square-foot EV factory is meant to produce Lucid Motors luxury EV sedan - Lucid Air.
At a time when the automobile industry is facing a crisis the world over, electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors has managed to keep up with the establishment of its upcoming production centre. Based in the Arizona desert, the plant is expected to be roll out its first produce by this year¡¯s end.
The 720,000-square-foot EV factory is meant to produce Lucid Motors¡¯ luxury EV sedan - Lucid Air. The plan for the factory is not new, as the company has had to struggle with the required capital for years. Having initiated the setup back in 2019, the company now claims that it is well on its timeline to set up the production facility despite holdups due to the Coronavirus induced lockdowns.
The company acknowledges the luck it has had behind the progress. A recent interview of Peter Hochholdinger, Lucid¡¯s vice president of manufacturing, points out the ¡°logistical maneuvers, help from parts suppliers and a bit of good fortune¡± that helped with the advancement. ¡°It was luck. I must say that,¡± Hochholdinger was quoted as saying in the interview.
Lucid Air
To date, the facility has seen the installation of critical assembly-line equipment, including robotic arms and precision tools like stamping presses and jigs.
Another factor that worked in the company¡¯s favour was the continuation of construction work despite the Coronavirus spread in the state of Arizona. Once the facility was set up, Lucid¡¯s decision to source equipment from Asia based manufacturers also enabled a timely progress.
A minimal delay was caused by its paint-shop equipment supplier Durr Systems. While it was initially planned to complete its work for the facility at a manufacturing site in China, the company shifted bases to other countries citing lockdowns, eventually reverting back to China for the task, which had by then lifted lockdown restrictions.
Other resources were diverted to Lucid Motors as most other projects were paused during the lockdown.
Lucid Air (Image: Lucid Motors)
That, however, did not make it easy for the company to set up a factory amid the pandemic. Lucid Motors says that it had to follow the enhanced safety protocols with strict social-distancing and sanitation.
Workers in the factory have to wear face masks and goggles at all times as well as undergo multiple temperature checks. If any inconsistency is found, the worker is asked to leave the site.
These mandates, however, are in no way a snag as big as what other EV OEMs have faced during the pandemic. In fact, the timely setup of the production facility will enable Lucid Motors to start the deliveries of its Lucid Air by as early as next year.
Once it does, the luxury electric sedan will compete directly with the likes of the Tesla Model S. With a targeted production capacity of a maximum of 380,000 vehicles in the facility a year, Lucid Motors just might be on its way to be the next big shot in the US EV market.
