Lucid's Latest Tech Talk Video Explains Why The Lucid Air Is So Spacious

Packaging an electric vehicle can be tricky, Lucid’s seemingly worked out a way to get a not-so-large 1,000 horsepower sedan to have enough space for five adults. Oh, and Lucid claims to have the largest frunk of any electric sedan on sale. Lucid released a video of CEO Peter Rawlinson explaining all the tips and engineering tactics the company took to squeeze every iota of space out of the vehicle.

Rawlinson starts out explaining that he wanted a car that was “bigger on the inside, but smaller on the outside”, which he says butted against traditional bigger is better thinking. Rawlinson wanted a car that was svelte enough to feel agile but without compromising interior space.

He goes on to explain how a big, bulky engine and transmission typically dictate packaging on an ICE vehicle. Because the engine and transmission are so large, all seating positions have to be moved rearward, necessitating a larger car for good interior room. “We design for 98th-percentile people here at Lucid, meaning only two percent of people would be larger,” said Rawlinson.

In the 30-minute-long video, Rawlinson explains how compact EV components, like motors and batteries, allow for a more spacious car. Still, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t other challenges. Lucid did a lot of clever engineering with front frame rails, motor position, and crash structure to generate what it claims is the largest frunk on any sedan, ever.

According to a conversation with Automotive News, this video is only part two of a ten-part series titled “Tech Talk”, which will explain a lot of Lucid’s engineering and design decisions.

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