Lucid will provide essential battery and drivetrain parts for the “ultra-luxury high-performance electric vehicles” that Aston Martin plans to make. This includes Aston’s first electric car, which Lucid told The Drive will go on sale in 2025. The merger makes sense for the motorsports industry because both companies have strong roots in the technical and driving sides of professional racing. With Lucid’s state-of-the-art motor and battery system, Aston can use the same technology as the performance-oriented Lucid Air. This will be an excellent fit for the British carmaker’s niche market. Lucid says the $450 million deal will let Aston use its “ultra-high performance” dual-motor powertrain and battery systems. On the other hand, Lucid doesn’t just throw away Aston motors and call it a day. Through the deal, Aston’s road-going fleet can use Lucid’s technology and get help with hardware and integration. As part of the relationship, the new EV maker will also give Aston “critical software,” battery management, and the Wunderbox, which controls all the electricity that goes into the car. The car could have the outside design of an Aston Martin, but it could operate and charge more like a Lucid Air. And, based on what we know, that might be a good thing. Aston should use technology that is already out there. Even though the company makes high-performance luxury cars, it is still a small business, with only 6,400 orders for 2022. Aston probably doesn’t want to build its electric vehicle chassis because it would cost a lot of money. Because of the automaker’s well-known on-again, off-again money problems, its future success needs to run a tight ship. Even Lucid’s funds are in disarray. The automaker’s earnings report for the first quarter of 2023 showed problems with production, transportation, and extra costs. It also showed a massive loss of cash, which was the main reason the stock price dropped 70% the year before. After its financial report came out earlier this year, Lucid admitted that it had been talking with “multiple parties” about leasing or selling its engine technology. It looks like Aston is one of these people. Working with a well-known and tested carmaker like Lucid makes perfect sense. This method was even tested when Aston hired Rimac to build a part of Valkyrie’s hybrid system. As part of their ongoing deals to share technology, Mercedes-Benz and Geely own about the same amount of money in Aston. Even though we will know once the British reveal more of their EV plan closer to 2025, the Lucid partnership for road-going cars will likely be much bigger than the Rimac partnership.
