Bloomberg Talks Lucid Interim CEO Marc Winterhoff Talks Panasonic Partnership
Jul 14, 2025
Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO of Lucid, shares insights on the exciting partnership with Panasonic amidst the backdrop of their new battery plant in De Soto, Kansas. He highlights how this collaboration enables local production, crucial for navigating tariffs and enhancing operational efficiency. Winterhoff also discusses Lucid's innovative plans for a new midsize vehicle priced at $50,000, the challenges of the electric vehicle market, and strategies to stay competitive against giants like Tesla, all while addressing supply chain dynamics.
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Localizing Battery Production
- Lucid partnered with Panasonic to localize battery cell production in Kansas, reducing reliance on overseas supply.
- This collaboration included co-engineering to optimize battery cells for real-world vehicle performance.
Economic Cell Production Benefits
- Localizing battery cell manufacturing is economically beneficial even without considering tariffs.
- Collaborating on cell chemistry and parameters with Panasonic improves performance and cost-effectiveness.
Supply Chain Localization Crucial
- Simply producing cells domestically is not enough; localizing the entire supply chain is crucial to avoid tariffs on raw materials.
- Lucid invests in mining and processing key raw materials like graphite to strengthen supply chain localization.