Lucid?s Tesla Model S rival, expected to go on sale in late 2018, doesn?t even have an official name yet. But the company, which until yesterday was known as Atieva, is emerging from a self-imposed stealth mode and aims to find name recognition quickly among electric-vehicle enthusiasts and motorsports fans with this bit of news: Lucid will soon be the sole supplier of battery packs for FIA Formula E racing.
Peter Rawlinson, Lucid?s chief technical officer (and the former chief engineer of the Tesla Model S), has confirmed to C/D that the agreement will be part of a three-way partnership among McLaren Applied Technologies, Lucid, and Sony. Lucid will design and construct the battery and battery management software; Sony will supply the small-format, commodity-sized cylindrical cells within; and McLaren will manage the logistics and trackside support. ?Our batteries will power the entire Formula E race series for seasons 5 and 6,? said Rawlinson. ?There are some major automakers entering that series?illustrious, well-recognized names?and they will all be running our batteries.?

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?It was a very, very rigorous evaluation, with many bidders.?
?Peter Rawlinson, Lucid chief technical officer
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Rawlinson also pointed out that, while many larger companies are marketing their technology to Formula E, Lucid is being paid to supply the battery technology. Right now, Formula E cars have their packs swapped partway through the race, but the new pack is said to allow them to finis...