“Peter Rawlinson, who led design of the Tesla Model S and is now chief executive of the electric car start-up Lucid, likes to wow audiences by showing up at events dragging a rolling carry-on bag containing the company’s supercompact drive unit. Electric motor, transmission and differential in one, the unit saves space and, along with hundreds of other weight-saving tweaks, will allow the company’s Lucid Air luxury car — which the company unveiled on Sept. 9 — to travel more than 400 miles on a charge, Mr. Rawlinson said.
His point is that designers should focus on things like aerodynamic drag and weight to avoid the need for big, expensive batteries in the first place. ‘There is kind of a myopia,’ Mr. Rawlinson said. ‘Everyone is talking about batteries. It’s the whole system.’
— Peter Rawlinson quoted in The New York Times (2020)
RE:SOURCES
- Ewing, Jack; 2020. “The Age of Electric Cars Is Dawning Ahead of Schedule.” The New York Times (subscription required). Posted September 20; accessed September 21.
Also see ‘CO2 emissions: Automakers still partying like it’s 1975’
Be the first to comment