In a Show of Vitality, Lucid Motors Moves into Snazzy New Headquarters
But the company still faces many challenges.
Lucid Motors isn't producing its Air electric car yet, but the company is moving into new, larger headquarters. The new Lucid building is located in the Pacific Research Center in Newark, California. Lucid claims the space is twice the size of its old digs in Menlo Park.
Besides reminding people that Lucid is still around, the move allows the automaker to consolidate more of its operations under one roof. The new headquarters will house a design studio and more lab and office space, a Lucid press release said. Having more people in close proximity will speed up development work, the company believes.
Unveiled to the public in late 2016, the Lucid Air aims to copy the Tesla model by offering performance, long range, and luxury in a single package. The $60,000 rear-wheel-drive base model has a claimed range of 240 miles, but Lucid is also planning versions with all-wheel drive, 1,000 horsepower, and a range of up to 400 miles. A prototype hit 235 mph on an Ohio test track.
That all sounds very impressive but, as with all automotive startups, the real challenge will be getting the car into production. So far, Lucid seems to have had better luck than fellow electric-car startup Faraday Future, which has been plagued by money problems and an executive exodus. But that's no guarantee of success.
Shortly after the Air was unveiled, Lucid announced plans for a factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. The company wants to start churning out cars by 2019, but the factory isn't finished. Considering that it needs to complete construction, tool up for production, and work out any bugs before cars reach customers, Lucid doesn't have much time. Moving to a new headquarters proves that Lucid still has a pulse, but if the company hasn't made significant progress on its factory by this time next year, that won't matter.