“We could make a unique product born of the desert, forged in the desert. He even considers launching a new product reflecting the company’s Saudi connection. “It could be pure electric,” he adds, arguing that an EV industry could become a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s preparation for a future without oil. “We’re having a chat about that right now at a very senior level, executive level, within the kingdom,” he says. With Lucid now majority-owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Mr Rawlinson says he hopes to help the country build out its own automotive industry. Casa Grande and the Arizona plant are only 400 miles from Mexico.”Īs Lucid puts the Arizona desert on the automotive map, it is considering doing the same for another desert on the other side of the world. “We’ve got quite a bit of parts being shipped north. Other considerations were access to high-tech talent and proximity to Lucid’s supplier base in Mexico. “Sometimes, rather than renovate that old cottage that’s a hundred years old, it’s simpler just to build a new house for yourself,” Mr Rawlinson says, citing the resources needed to repair and retrofit older facilities. Unlike Tesla, whose first plant is a former GM facility in Fremont, California, Lucid opted for a greenfield site - the first purpose-built EV plant in North America.

“Actually we had senators Flake, McCain, and governor Ducey all at the same table with me back in 2016, I had to pinch myself. “I've got a great rapport with Doug Ducey, the governor of Arizona, whom I've got to know personally,” he says. He says that proximity to their headquarters in California was the number one factor, but that the enthusiasm of Arizona officials was crucial to the decision.

“We looked at about 65 sites, all across the US, and we had a number of selection criteria,” says Mr Rawlinson, explaining why the company decided to build their plant in Casa Grande. The result is the Lucid Air, Mr Rawlinson’s next-level electric car, set to start production in December. Since then, the company has secured a $1bn investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, built a $700m plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, and opened a network of retail stores. A former vice president at Tesla, he joined with the goal of applying the lessons he learned as the chief engineer of the Model S to build an even better electric car. Founded in 2007 as a battery supplier called Atieva, the company shifted gears in 2016, when Mr Rawlinson joined the company.

Lucid air mass production