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Lucid CEO takes digs at Tesla and Rivian as EV rivalry heats up

Credit: Lucid

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Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson rarely misses an opportunity to throw shade at electric vehicle rivals. That was no different recently, as the frontman recently said in an interview that it is able to offer cheaper cars than Tesla with the same battery pack, and that Rivian’s new SUVs won’t compare to the Gravity.

Rawlinson spoke to CarBuzz at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he discussed Lucid’s industry-leading range ratings and how it has been able to offer great vehicles at prices he feels are competitive.

The discussion all started with Rawlinson stating Lucid is doing whatever it can to get its vehicles below $50,000, including the strategy of licensing its technology to other car companies. Calling the tech Lucid uses “an enabler,” Rawlinson is still quick to flex the company’s efficiency and range ratings, which have been great for the company’s perception in the EV sector.

He used the opportunity to shade Tesla’s range in a direct comparison when talking about the 88 kWh pack:

“We got more range than anyone else with just an 88 kWh pack [now an 84 kWh pack for 2025], which is smaller, lighter, and much less costly than the competition. And that’s why we can offer [the Lucid Air Pure] cheaper than Tesla.”

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Rawlinson and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have had a bit of a rivalry since Lucid came to the market a few years ago. Musk has been adamant that Rawlinson, who said he was Chief Engineer of the Model S, did not actually hold that position and left when things got difficult in the vehicle’s early development stage.

Lucid CEO Rawlinson says he was Model S Chief Engineer, a claim Elon Musk refutes

Rawlinson’s comments regarding Rivian had to do with its upcoming Gravity SUV.

Rivian recently partnered with Volkswagen for an up to $5 billion investment, which will keep the EV maker afloat amidst economic hardships that come with being a startup.

Rawlinson was asked about the partnership, and Rivian’s plans to roll out three new SUVs in the coming years that it unveiled earlier in 2024. He isn’t threatened by the prospect:

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“You could say, ‘How is Rivian gonna respond?’ Because Gravity is gonna be the best SUV out there, and no one will be able to compete with it. To me, product is king. Bring it on […], but I’ve driven R1S, and I’ve driven the Gravity. I’m not worried.”

Lucid will report its earnings for the second quarter on August 5.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla’s latest Robotaxi job posting takes the whole program a step forward

On Tuesday, Tesla posted a new job for a Senior Insurance Claims Specialist, Robotaxi, the first of its kind.

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(Credit: Tesla North America/X)

Tesla’s latest Robotaxi job posting goes beyond what has been posted in the past and truly takes the entire program a step forward.

Tesla has been hiring some employees for Robotaxi, but a vast majority of the job postings have been related to Vehicle Operator positions, meaning the people who are Safety Monitors or Validation Vehicle Drivers.

Some job postings have hinted at Robotaxi expanding to new cities.

However, on Tuesday, Tesla posted a new job for a Senior Insurance Claims Specialist, Robotaxi, the first of its kind.

The job description says the employee will “oversee the company’s corporate insurance, risk management and surety programs across all business components.” Additionally, it says the position plays “a critical role in managing incident reporting a claim processes for Tesla Robotaxi and ride-hailing operations.”

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Essentially, Tesla could be looking to prepare for when it eventually will have to take liability for accidents completely. This would be when the company launches fully autonomous vehicles, meaning Cybercab and the Robotaxi program, specifically. It would also include passenger vehicles with Full Self-Driving.

Tesla is currently operating a Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, as well as a ride-hailing platform in the California Bay Area.

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These programs are the company’s first foray into ride-hailing, with or without someone in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. In Austin, Tesla operates most of its rides without a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. Only freeway routes require the Monitor to be directly behind the wheel.

In California, someone sits in the driver’s seat at all times.

The job posting seems to indicate that things could be relatively close in terms of solving self-driving, especially if Tesla is looking to fill a role that would handle autonomous insurance claims.

Of course, it will take Tesla to solve autonomy, and with the company aiming to start Cybercab production (without a steering wheel) in Q2 2025, it surely feels like it is on the brink of something great.

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Tesla snags Lamborghini alum to help in newly entered market

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has snagged a Lamborghini alum to help with its entrance into a new market, which has proven to be an intricate situation for the automaker.

A report from Bloomberg states that Tesla has hired Sharad Agarwal, who was formerly employed by the Italian luxury carmaker, to run its operations in India. With Lamborghini, he was employed to handle operations in India.

Tesla launches in India with Model Y, showing pricing will be biggest challenge

Tesla has gone through quite a few different team members with its launch in India, starting with a few hirings a few years ago, well before the company actually committed to selling cars in the country.

The move helps Tesla streamline its executive decision-making process, as it previously had employees in India reach out to managers based in China, among other areas. Agarwal will be stationed in India and will handle the company’s operations.

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Tesla’s mentality behind the strategy is to have local leadership, something that seems to cater to the market specifically.

Tesla had previously put Isabel Fan, the manager of Southeast Asia for the company, in the position. However, Tesla seemed to want someone who was more permanent and would be dedicated to India exclusively.

India has the largest population on Earth and has a massive automotive market for that reason. Tesla stands to gain a lot from a strong performance in India, and its clean energy vehicles could help with pollution of all kinds in the region.

Tesla’s path to entrance in the Indian market was a long one, as the company tried for nearly ten years to get into the elusive region. Back in 2016, CEO Elon Musk said Tesla “would love to be in India,” teasing the Model 3.

By 2017, Tesla had met with officials from the country, but tried to get import duties down to nothing from 100 percent.

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Indian authorities denied Tesla’s request.

For years, Musk met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try and iron out a deal of some sort. Nothing truly came to fruition, at least until last year, when real movement started.

By 2024, India had introduced a strategy to reduce import duties for some companies, which was enough for Tesla to make a move. It is now 2025, and the company still has not committed to building a factory in the region. However, it is not completely out of the question.

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Tesla Sentry Mode helps lock up drive-by shooting suspect in Seattle

“A nearby Tesla actually captured the video that showed a man crouched behind a vehicle firing gunshots. A lot of vehicles record, and officers know that Teslas, especially, record, so we use that video all the time in these instances.”

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(Credit: Tesla)

Police in Seattle, Washington, are crediting Tesla’s well-known Sentry Mode for helping find a suspect in a drive-by shooting case.

A 21-year-old was arrested for an alleged drive-by shooting in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle this past Sunday, and the leads on the case seemed to be slim.

However, a Tesla parked nearby was able to record the shooting, as well as the car that the suspect hopped in after the crime occurred. It helped police identify the person they were looking for.

Seattle Police Department Detective Brian Pritchard said to MyNorthwest that the Tesla was a critical part of finding the suspect and placing him under arrest:

“A nearby Tesla actually captured the video that showed a man crouched behind a vehicle firing gunshots. A lot of vehicles record, and officers know that Teslas, especially, record, so we use that video all the time in these instances.”

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The Tesla footage helped the Police put the suspect into handcuffs about an hour after the crime was committed. They are currently charged with drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Tesla Sentry Mode is a security feature the vehicle utilizes to help solve crimes like vandalism, but it is also a cool feature that has caught things like accidents and other incidents on camera.

Many people still do not know about it, including the many vandals who keyed or broke the windows of Teslas earlier this year, as people damaged others’ cars in an act of retaliation against CEO Elon Musk when he became involved in politics.

This is far from the first time Sentry Mode has helped Police Departments solve crimes. Last September, we reported on Oakland’s Police Department in California using Teslas near crime scenes to help solve cases.

Tesla Sentry Mode is Oakland PD’s secret weapon against rising crime

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Sergeant Ben Therriault, president of the Richmond Police Officers Association, said, “We have all these mobile video devices floating around,” in reference to the Teslas that sit and capture nearly everything that surrounds them.

Sentry Mode has helped officers arrest a variety of suspects, including several people who were allegedly involved in the murder of a 27-year-old woman in Northern California.

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