Lucid to supply electric drive systems for Aston Martin
Aston Martin is planning to rely on electric powertrains from Lucid Motors. The two companies have entered into a long-term strategic technology partnership to integrate and supply Lucid’s powertrain and battery systems into future Aston Martin electric cars. Lucid will also become a shareholder in Aston Martin.
The shares in Aston Martin Lagonda are part of the payment for the powertrain components, according to the Lucid Motors announcement, so they are not investing directly in the new customer. The total value of the components is put at 450 million US dollars (around 412 million euros). It is not known how much of this is accounted for by the cash payments and how much by the shares.
The technologies are specifically the dual-motor drive unit, the battery technology and the Lucid charging system called “Wunderbox”. Aston Martin will use the components in a new BEV platform on which future electric models will be based – from hypercars to sports cars, GTs and SUVs. Aston Martin is reportedly planning its first BEV model for 2025.
Together, they aim to “help propel Aston Martin’s high-performance electrification strategy and its long-term growth”, according to the statement. The collaboration will give Aston Martin “access to world-leading electric powertrain technology, developed and manufactured exclusively by Lucid itself”. In addition to supply, technical support for the integration of Lucid technology into Aston Martin’s vehicle platform has also been agreed.
The new partners did not give any further details in the announcement. It is therefore unclear what quantities the British manufacturer has secured through the deal and also what key technical data is to be possible with Lucid technology in Aston Martin’s electric cars. Lucid currently only offers the electric sedan Air, the SUV Gravity is to follow next year. The Air comes with impressive performance data – with the large battery (113 kWh energy content), up to 828 kW of power (Dream Edition Performance) or 883 kilometres of range (Dream Edition Range) are possible. Even with the smaller battery of 92 kWh, up to 725 kilometres according to WLTP should be possible. However, the entire concept of the sedan is trimmed for efficiency. The first electric Aston Martin vehicles are then planned to show what is possible in an electric sports car.
Lucid Motors thus becomes Aston Martin’s second technology partner alongside Mercedes-Benz. Among other things, the German manufacturer supplies the electronics architecture for current and future models of the British company as well as drives for internal combustion engines and hybrids.
In the past, Aston Martin had already developed an electric model with 800-volt technology based on the Rapide sedan, and the vehicle was about to go into production. After a change of ownership and management (around a consortium of the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll), the model planning was scrapped and the electric Rapide did not come to market. Instead, Aston Martin wants to focus on the BEV platform mentioned above – and not on the electrification of existing models. In the meantime, Aston Martin wanted to develop high-performance battery cells with the now insolvent Britishvolt, so it had to look for a new battery partner.
“The supply agreement with Lucid is a game changer for the future EV-led growth of Aston Martin,” said Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin. “Based on our strategy and requirements, we selected Lucid, gaining access to the industry’s highest performance and most innovative technologies for our future BEV products.”
“This partnership will represent a landmark collaboration between Aston Martin, a storied marque with a rich history, including winning at Le Mans and its current successes in F1, and the very best of Silicon Valley innovation and technology from Lucid,” said Peter Rawlinson. CEO and CTO, Lucid. “In line with its strategy, Aston Martin selected Lucid, recognizing the profound benefits of adopting its world-leading electric drivetrain technology, exemplified by the breakthrough 516-mile EPA-estimated range achieved by the Lucid Air Grand Touring.”
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