NEWARK, Calif. – Lucid Group, Inc. has unveiled its groundbreaking new electric drive unit for motorsports, which can already be found on the race circuit as the standard front drive unit for the world’s leading single-seater electric racing series. The drive unit features incredible power density of 14.7 hp/kg and immense energy recuperation, making it one of the most advanced on the market.
“This drive unit will once again transform electric motorsports, following in the footsteps of our revolutionary battery pack in prior race seasons,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Group. “For Lucid, the transfer of technology between motorsports and road cars is a two-way symbiosis. This new motorsports drive unit builds directly upon the groundbreaking powertrain technology developed in-house by Lucid and proven on the road in every Lucid Air. I’m excited by the prospect that some of the technical advancements introduced may in turn make their way to future Lucid road cars.”
The new drive unit comprises of a motor, inverter, differential and transmission all combined, and produces 469 horsepower, despite a weight of only 70.5 pounds (32 kilos). It also has a max rotor speed of 19,500 rpm and features the same state-of-the-art high-voltage continuous wave winding and proprietary microjet cooling system that can be found in the motors powering the Lucid Air sports sedan.
The drive unit provides regenerative energy recovery from the front wheels under braking, significantly enhancing the racecar’s performance envelope, efficiency, and relevance to road car advancement. Each motorsport drive unit is manufactured to exacting specification in Lucid’s headquarters in California, and is completely proprietary.
