Aston Martin: Future electric drives from Lucid Motors

According to the press release, both companies aim to jointly "advance the powerful electrification strategy and long-term growth of the British cult brand." The collaboration is intended to provide Aston Martin with access to "world-leading electric drive technology" exclusively developed and manufactured by Lucid. In addition to supplying components, technical support for integrating Lucid's technology into future Aston Martin models is also said to have been agreed upon.

"The supply agreement with Lucid is a crucial step for Aston Martin's future growth in the electric vehicle sector," said Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin. He added:

"Based on our strategy and our requirements, we chose Lucid, thereby gaining access to the industry's most powerful and innovative technologies for our future BEV products."

Lucid was selected by Aston Martin through a competitive process and will provide electric drive technologies, including the ultra-high-performance dual-motor drive unit, battery technology, and the so-called "Wunderbox" for ultra-fast charging. The immense power of the dual-motor rear drive unit combined with torque vectoring ensures driving dynamics. These technically innovative electric motors feature Lucid's microjet stator cooling and wave winding, a new heat exchanger technology for increased efficiency and coolant flow, as well as an associated battery system that has also been upgraded for higher performance and more precise thermal logic.

The first fully electric Aston Martin model is scheduled to hit the market in 2025, supporting the brand's sustainability strategy called "Racing. Green." The deal is valued at approximately 413 million euros or 450 million dollars.

What does this mean?

The agreement also marks Lucid's first such collaboration with an automaker for its technology division. It extends the reach of Lucid's products and is intended to pave the way for further mainstream applications of the company's revolutionary electric drive technology in the future. Earlier this year, Lucid introduced a derivative of its powerful electric drive unit specifically developed for motorsport use. The commencement of the business relationship is dependent on the approval of Aston Martin's shareholders, as well as the receipt of corresponding regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. The combination of Aston Martin and Lucid is intriguing because both companies operate with relatively small volumes and do not have the financial background of large corporations. Here, Aston Martin leans on Mercedes-Benz for combustion engines and infotainment architecture through a technology partnership with Mercedes-Benz and AMG, respectively. Aston Martin's decision not to rely on Swabian support for electric drives could mean two things: Either the British found the technical foundation of Mercedes-Benz inadequate, or Mercedes-Benz is withholding future electric drives. Another reason could be that Stroll does not want to be too closely tied to Mercedes-Benz and prefers to give a part of the shares to Lucid—in any case, shareholders of both brands likely had a say in the background.