The Electric: Lucid, Rivian Cut Licensing Deals to Save Themselves—and Struggling Rivals

Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is hoping to license the technology behind the electric vehicles he is developing as an additional source of revenue beyond the sale of the company’s premium EVs.

In interviews I conducted with Rawlinson for a Big Read profile, he said Lucid was developing a drivetrain to power a mainstream $25,000 EV. But he said Lucid would not actually manufacture the car—that would be too expensive to manage while the company is financially stretched building plants to make its premium vehicles. Instead, he hopes to license the technology to legacy carmakers that already have big factories.