Lucid Partners with Panasonic for SUV Batteries

Panasonic will augment Lucid’s battery supply from LG Chem with cells from Panasonic’s new Kansas plant.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

December 15, 2022

2 Min Read
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Image courtesy of Panasonic

While Lucid Motors has seemed to struggle for battery supply from LG Chem for its luxurious Air sedan, the company will diversify its supply base by turning to Panasonic Energy for lithium-ion cells for the Air and the upcoming 2024 Gravity SUV.

Panasonic will fulfill that demand for cells initially from its Japanese plant and then eventually with cells from a recently announced plant in De Soto, Kansas.

“Panasonic is a fantastic partner with both innovative technology and depth of experience,” said Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. “This agreement will help us meet the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries as we continue to ramp production of the full Lucid Air line-up in 2023 and expect to begin production of our Gravity SUV in 2024.”

Panasonic is Tesla’s partner in the Nevada Gigafactory, but cells are in hot demand, so the company announced in July plans for another plant in a former ammunition plant in Kansas that will supplement the Nevada factory’s production and also provide batteries to Lucid.

“With the increased electrification of the automotive market, partnerships with technology-leading EV manufacturers such as Lucid are critical to our mission,” said Kazuo Tadanobu, President, CEO of Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. “This partnership will help us drive growth of the lithium-ion battery industry and accelerate the world towards a net-zero emissions future.”

Related:Our First Drive in the Lucid Air EV

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This image hints at the design of the 2024 Lucid Gravity.

The Kansas plant will produce 30 gigawatt-hours of 2170 lithium-ion cells annually, with mass production by March 2025. “As the global shift to EVs accelerates, we are looking into ways to strengthen our battery production capacity in North America and meet the growing demand from our automotive partners,” Tadanobu added.

The Lucid Gravity will surely contribute to that growing demand, as it will be available in both two-row and three-row versions, with seating for as many as seven passengers in addition to cargo space the company terms “cavernous” and an “extra-large” front trunk. “Gravity builds upon everything we have achieved thus far, driving further advancements of our in-house technology to create a luxury performance SUV like none other,” said Rawlinson.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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