Lucid Motors has actually teamed up with Amazon to bring its voice assistant software application into its launching electrical car, and CEO Peter Rawlinson dismissed issues about the e-commerce huge functioning as a danger in the vehicle market.
“I don’t think there’s a competition there. We’re happy to have Amazon Alexa as part of our technology suite,” Rawlinson stated Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk Alley.”
Rawlinson’s look came a day after the Tesla competing revealed its all-electric Air sedan, which will cost approximately $80,000 for a base design and increase to $169,000 for a limited-volume “Dream Edition.” Rawlinson was the vice president of engineering at Tesla from 2009 to 2012, where he dealt with the advancement of the business’s Model S.
There has actually been speculation about the level of Amazon’s aspirations in the vehicle market. In late June, the Jeff Bezos-led business revealed it would be getting self-driving car start-up Zoox in an offer supposedly worth over $1 billion. The Seattle-based company stated Zoox would continue to run as a standalone service within Amazon.
In September 2019, Amazon stated it had actually purchased 100,000 electrical lorries from Rivian Automotive as part of its push to get its shipment fleet running totally on renewable resource. Amazon formerly participated in Rivian’s $700 million financial investment round that was revealed in early 2019.
Lucid’s tie-up with Amazon will enable motorists “to enjoy the full Alexa experience on the go …. all while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel,” according to a news release from Lucid Motors, which got a $1 billion financial investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in 2018.
Rawlinson stressed the advantages of the cooperation in between Lucid and Amazon after he was asked whether the business took actions to secure its innovation from the cloud software application and online retail titan.
“I see that natural voice recognition is just perfect for the automobile,” stated Rawlinson, who likewise functions as Lucid Motors’ primary innovation officer. “It is just the perfect application, and what better than Amazon Alexa? So I don’t see any conflict there at all.”
Lucid anticipates to start producing the Air early next year at its plant in Casa Grande, Arizona; the business’s timeline was pressed back due to the coronavirus.
