Earlier this month, Lucid Motors announced a partnership with Samsung SDI to supply a custom li-ion battery cell that they developed with the Korean electronic giant for Lucid’s all-electric sedan, which they finally unveiled last week.
Today, the automaker announced that they secured a second battery cell supply contract – this time with LG Chem.
LG Chem is considered a leading battery cell supplier in the automotive industry and it recently signed a deal with another up-and-coming electric vehicle startup competing with Lucid Motors, Faraday Future. It also supplies batteries for other electric vehicles like the Chevy Bolt EV.
When announcing the deal with Samsung SDI, Lucid Motors claimed to have collaborated on the development of a cell described as “next-generation cylindrical cells that are able to exceed current performance benchmarks in areas such as energy density, power, calendar life and safety.”
With the new deal announced today with LG Chem, Lucid says that it again collaborated on the development of the cell that LG will supply:
“The cylindrical cells that LG Chem will be producing for Lucid will feature a proprietary chemistry that has been developed together in partnership.”
But it’s not the same chemistry as the cell developed with Samsung. The company explained that they could be used for different applications.
Lucid is new to making its own vehicle with the Lucid Air unveiled last week, but the company has been making electric powertrains, primarily for buses, since its inception back in 2008. The company says that it might use the different battery cells for this part of their business:
Although both supply agreements are intended for Lucid’s first vehicle, the Lucid Air, there are other possible applications for the cells. These could include batteries developed for other companies as part of Lucid’s powertrain supply business, or variants of the sedan with specific performance requirements. The differing performance attributes available from the two cell suppliers provide Lucid with maximum flexibility to select the best cell for each application.
Peter Rawlinson, CTO of Lucid, commented on adding a second battery cell supplier:
“Lucid has very high expectations for the cells that are used in our batteries, and we are fortunate to have two companies that are willing and able to work with us to meet our requirements. The market now has multiple top-tier cell suppliers for automotive applications who are continuing to improve the energy storage, life, safety, and fast-charging characteristics of a cell. This emergence of high quality automotive grade cells is a positive development for Lucid, and it bodes well for the future of electric vehicles.”
Youngsun Kim, LG Chem VP of Sales, also commented on the deal:
“It is a great honor to be nominated to be a battery cell supplier and a pleasure to support Lucid Motors to realize its vision. Lucid Motors and LG Chem have collaborated on developing power management technology by bringing our expertise in lithium-ion battery cells. We are trying our best to meet the stringent and outstanding performance and quality standards of Lucid Motors.”
Lucid plans to soon start construction on its factory in Arizona in order to try to bring the Lucid Air, its 400-mile range all-electric luxury sedan, to market in 2018.
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