I was surprised to learn Lucid has exclusive battery rights to vehicles in Formula E:
- "[Customers are] driving race-proven electric vehicle technology," Rawlinson said of the Air sedan, noting Lucid's battery technology has been used for all 24 vehicles in the fifth Formula E race series."
- "Actual data—and showing that its packs are up to the torture and extreme regenerative-braking rates necessary to make it through the race—is what won Lucid the FIA contract, according to the company."
- "The rigors of Formula E usage also will serve as a proving ground for Lucid’s custom architecture for battery cooling. The company not so subtly points to crosstown rival Tesla as an example of performance claims that only deliver under specific conditions. It has already designed intercell cooling around repeat acceleration runs, with its Edna test mule—the quickest van this editor had ever been in, as it covers zero to 60 mph in a claimed 2.9 seconds and boasts twin motors/inverters and 1200 horsepower—aiming to provide acceleration performance numbers that are reproducible not just in close succession but across the battery’s state of charge. And designing a pack that’s ready for potential 350-kW fast-charging parallels some of the cooling requirements for racing-level brake-energy recovery."