Lucid has unveiled the electric drive unit it has developed and is producing for the current Formula E World Championship.
The drive unit comprises the motor, inverter, differential and transmission and weighs just 32 kg (70.5 lbs). Despite its compact size, the unit delivers 469 hp and can rev to 19,500 rpm. The drive unit also has the same high-voltage continuous wave winding and proprietary microjet cooling system of the Lucid Air.
Each and every Gen3 car competing in the current Formula E World Championship houses the Lucid drive unit in the nose cone. Interestingly, the electric car manufacturer does not name Formula E in its press release about the drive unit, simply referring to it as “the world’s leading single-seater electric racing series.”
Read: Lucid Follows Tesla’s Lead Offering $7,500 Discount To Start 2023
Lucid’s drive unit also provides regenerative energy recovery from the front wheels under braking.
“With incredible power density of 14.7 hp/kg and immense energy recuperation, this drive unit will once again transform electric motorsports, following in the footsteps of our revolutionary battery pack in prior race seasons,” Lucid chief executive and chief technology officer Peter Rawlinson said in a statement. “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.”
Lucid brands the front drive unit as an Atieva product. Those who are familiar with the history of Lucid will know that the company was once known as Atieva.
