Lucid Lunar Is A Robotaxi Concept Built With Uber

Built on the mid-sized SUV platform, the Lucid Lunar concept could launch before the end of the decade.

Surprise, surprise: an EV brand has announced an autonomous taxi. Today at Lucid Investor Day, interim CEO Marc Winterhoff was joined by Uber president and COO Andrew Macdonald to show off the Lucid Lunar concept. A collaboration between the two companies, the two-seat model is built off the mid-sized platform that underpins the upcoming Lucid Cosmos and Earth SUVs, though naturally there are some changes for the purposes of the project.

The Lunar is the latest step in a six-year deal between Lucid, Uber, and Nuro, first announced at CES this year. A purpose-built model designed to leverage the brand's upcoming Level 3 semi-autonomous drive systems, which will roll out across its production models in the next few years.

There's not a lot of info on this one yet, as Winterhoff admitted it was an early concept. Nonetheless the Lunar has been tweaked to maximize efficiency—key for something that will, at least in theory, be spending much of its day rolling around without real breaks. The Cosmos is already targeting a very healthy 4.5 miles (7.24 kilometers) per kilowatt-hour; the Lunar would push that to 5.5 or 6.0 miles (8.9–9.7 km). Crucially, DC fast-charging can add back over 200 miles (321 km) of range in as little as 15 minutes. With seats mounted further back to allow for a larger door opening, the Lunar also extends legroom to over 42.0 inches (1,067 millimeters). Lucid is targeting a 40-percent reduction in operating costs versus existing models.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.