• Ford’s upcoming mid-size electric pickup truck is getting closer.
• The American automaker offered a glimpse at the $30,000 EV’s potential design.
• In a new video series, Ford also shows off the first camouflaged working prototypes during cold-weather testing.

Ford may have ditched the F-150 Lightning, but the American car company is not done with electric pickups yet. The automaker’s upcoming mid-size truck, which is expected to cost around $30,000, is still alive and kicking, and on track for a 2027 reveal.

In a new video series, Ford is offering a glimpse into the development of its make-or-break electric car, including shots of the EV during cold-weather testing, the radical new assembly process, and the potential final design of the car.

Photo by: Ford

One of the videos posted on an elusive new webpage shows several design sketches that cement the image of a rather boxy vehicle with vertical headlamps and a car-like silhouette. Another video that shows several camouflaged prototypes backs the idea of a Maverick-sized pickup with a relatively short bed. 

All this being said, nobody—except Ford—knows what the finished entry-level electric pickup will look like or what it will be called. Some rumors suggest that the Ranchero nameplate will make a return, but we’ll have to wait and see what the blue oval brand has in store for its radical new EV.

Based on an all-new, bespoke architecture dubbed the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform, Ford’s new mid-size pickup will make extensive use of megacastings—huge body parts that reduce the number of parts—that are bolted together in sections. 

Photo by: Ford

There’s a front part, a middle part, and a rear section. Previously, Ford said that each of these sections would be assembled on a separate line, and they would be bolted together at the end of the line. In another video posted on the model’s dedicated webpage, the automaker shows how the front part of the car is clipped onto the main chassis in an area of the factory called “The Chapel of Love,” where the two sections get “married.”

Mark Gentry, who works at Ford’s New Model Program Development Center (NMPDC), said he has been building Ford prototypes for 27 years and that nothing has gone together as easily as the new EV. The video also shows workers using bolts and adhesive to assemble various parts.

The company has previously said that the upcoming electric pickup will offer the interior space of a mid-size truck in the footprint of a Maverick. The new EV would also be as fast as a gas-powered Mustang EcoBoost and more spacious than a Toyota RAV4, thanks to the front trunk and rear bed.

Photo by: Ford

Ford has yet to offer solid details on the EV’s powertrain, but it has hinted that it would be powered by a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery with a maximum capacity of around 51 kilowatt-hours. That’s about half of what the cheapest F-150 Lightning truck offered, but the company is adamant that the new, purpose-built pickup will offer sufficient range, thanks to the car being much lighter and more aerodynamic.

The traction battery will be rated at 400 volts, which is a downgrade compared to the latest and greatest EVs out there, which have 800V or higher-voltage packs, but Ford said that it’s the right choice for this particular use case because it enables access to all installed charging infrastructure, it’s affordable, and it can make money for the company. Vehicle-to-load (V2L), which allows owners to export energy from the main battery to power tools and appliances, will be baked in.

Two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options are in the works, with the Detroit automaker claiming that the electric motors, which will be built in-house, will be the cheapest in the world, allowing it to keep the costs down and the selling price low.

Ford’s new $30,000 pickup is expected to debut next year.

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Source: Ford

The line at the Avis rental car location in New York City was packed with Memorial Day weekend travelers wearing sunglasses and hats, dragging carry-ons behind them and hoisting backpacks over their shoulders. In the pickup area, employees reversed freshly cleaned SUVs into parking spots one after another, preparing them for long holiday drives out of the city. 

My friend and I were headed to Upstate New York to escape the cacophony of the city and spend the weekend around Lake George before hiking in the Adirondacks. Getting there, however, wasn’t easy. Amtrak tickets were sold out for the weekend, Metro-North wasn’t practical for where we were going, and rental-car prices were exorbitant.

Even economy cars like the Chevrolet Spark and Toyota Corolla were either fully booked or absurdly expensive. The cheapest cars available were EVs, with just two options to choose from: the Kia Niro EV or the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Oddly enough, despite being an entire generation apart, they were priced the same. The Ioniq 5 was a no-brainer pick thanks to its faster charging speeds and longer range.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

An EV wouldn’t be every traveler’s first choice. But I’ve been around the block and know that finding places to charge in the Northeast isn’t too big a hassle. Plus, with average gas prices in New York hovering over $4.50 per gallon amid the ongoing war in Iran, I was relieved at the thought of avoiding gas stations altogether.

I wasn’t expecting to save much on refueling, since I’d be relying exclusively on public fast-charging stations, which are much more expensive than plugging in at home. But after over 500 miles of driving, I was stunned by how much I had saved by going electric.

As we set out, I was reminded of how awesome the Ioniq 5 is all-around. It’s one of our favorite cars here at InsideEVs. Its latest update with the larger battery pack and the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) port made it an Editor’s Choice for last year’s InsideEVs Breakthrough Awards. The rental car was an older model year, with a CCS charging port, and 77 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity, allowing 260 miles of EPA range on an AWD trim. It also lacked wireless Android Auto and still used USB-A ports instead of USB-C, forcing me to stop at a store and buy a USB-A cable just to get phone mirroring working.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

It felt modern regardless. My friend and I were both impressed by its smoothness, comfortable ride, and incredible charging speeds. The Ioniq 5’s 800-volt architecture allows a 10-80% charging stop in just 20 minutes when plugged into a 350-kilowatt fast charger. Since we paired nearly every charging stop with a meal break, we returned to the car each time with far more range than we actually needed. We didn’t bother to set an 80% charging limit since it was a rental car.

What stood out most, though, was how little the road trip ultimately cost compared to a gas crossover. Avis handed me the Ioniq 5 with 61% state of charge and an indicated range of about 190 miles. That gave us enough buffer to leave the city before needing to stop, which was important because charging rates get significantly cheaper the farther you venture outside of NYC.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Our first charging stop was roughly 100 miles north of the city, near the Catskills, at a 350-kW Evolve NY station. I plugged in at 14% and charged to 92%, paying $31 at $0.47 per kWh. That added enough range to comfortably reach our Airbnb and drive to the trailhead the following morning. Because the trailhead was deep in the mountains with no cell service and no nearby chargers, we decided to top up again as a precaution. That second stop cost another $20, taking the battery from 30% to 80% at a similar charging rate.

A third charging stop on the way back was enough to get us into the city. In total, the trip required just three charging stops over roughly 560 miles of driving. The raw charging math looked impressive. I spent about $67 across those primary charging sessions. Before returning the car, I had to stop one last time at an expensive station near the city to top it back up to its starting state of charge and avoid a penalty from Avis. That brought the total charging outlay for the trip to around $80.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

That is far less than what you’d pay to fuel a gas-powered crossover over the same distance these days. And it shows how rising gas prices are changing the math for EV ownership. Historically, the common wisdom was that you only got the greatest cost benefits of driving an EV by charging at home, using cheap household electricity. That’s still true. But now, relying exclusively on public charging infrastructure is also more economical compared to driving gas-powered cars. 

At last weekend’s average gas price in New York—$4.58 per gallon—you’d need to average around 32 mpg to match the per-mile costs of my trip in the Ioniq 5. In a typical 25 mpg SUV, it would’ve cost just over $100 to drive the 560 miles I covered. Driving a fuel-sipping hybrid rated at 40 mpg would have cost me a bit less than the EV did: $64. But I also saved a lot on rental costs by choosing an EV. So, at the end of the day, the Ioniq 5 beat out both comparable hybrids and combustion vehicles on total costs. Here’s how the numbers broke down for my trip:

I did not hypermile or do any meticulous route planning to save costs. We drove normally, used public fast chargers, overcharged the car several times, blasted the air conditioning, and treated the Ioniq 5 like any ordinary road-trip vehicle. The driving experience was also an order of magnitude better, with powerful acceleration from the e-motors’ instant torque, plus buttery-smooth, near-silent cruising.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that going electric is not only better in terms of driving experience and overall tech, but also in terms of the broader cost benefits. And stubbornly high gas prices are only making the argument for EVs more convincing. Even in one of the least favorable scenarios for EV economics—holiday travel using public fast chargers in one of the most expensive regions in the country—the Ioniq 5 still came out on top. 

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

• Silicon anodes are now entering production to improve electric vehicle charging speeds.
• They’re still blended with graphite as startups work to develop 100% silicon anodes.
• This unique battery allows the Mercedes-AMG GT to charge from 10-80% in just 11 minutes.    

Electric vehicle batteries live a tough life. Temperature swings, punishment from bad roads, repeated hard acceleration, and fast-charging cycles can push the cells to their absolute limits. The combined effect of these forces can generate enormous amounts of heat. Managing that heat is the difference between a battery that works and a disaster waiting to happen.

Thankfully, recent innovations in battery technology have given automakers access to cells capable of handling the extremities of high-performance EVs. The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe sheds light on several such innovations. 

In its latest generation, the super sedan has ditched its V8 engine for an all-electric powertrain. 

Its polarizing design and headline numbers like 1,153 horsepower and 600 kilowatts of peak charging power turned eyeballs at its launch last week. But beneath the spectacle, some major battery details seem to have slipped under the radar. Two stand out: the silicon anode and an overengineered cooling loop.

Photo by: Mercedes-AMG

But first, let’s start with the basics. The AMG GT’s 106 kilowatt hours of usable battery capacity delivers up to 700 kilometers (434 miles) of range on the European WLTP cycle, translating to well over 300 miles of comparable range on the tougher U.S. EPA cycle. When the car reaches U.S. shores later this year, it will be the fastest-charging EV in America, with a claimed 10-80% time of just 11 seconds. 

The silicon anode is what makes that charging performance possible. Think of the anode as the part of the cell responsible for how much energy the battery can store and how quickly it can charge.

Traditionally, battery makers have relied on graphite anodes for their stability and energy density. But with China maintaining a chokehold on graphite supply chains—and with environmental concerns about graphite mining—automakers are now integrating silicon-graphite anodes as an interim solution. The end goal is to phase out graphite entirely, replacing it with either 100% silicon or synthetic graphite alternatives.

Photo by: Mercedes-AMG

Mercedes-AMG isn’t alone here. Several other companies are working on silicon anodes, including General Motors and startups like Group14 and Sila. It’s worth noting, though, that silicon anodes are a niche technology. They’re commercially available in limited quantities, but not yet cost-competitive and scalable enough to challenge traditional graphite anodes at volume.

On the AMG GT, the silicon-containing anode reaches a cell-level energy density of 298 watt hours per kilogram, which is at the high end of today’s commercially available automotive-grade lithium-ion cells. The cathode, on the other hand, contains nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum (NCMA), which automakers have historically associated with longer range and better energy density. 

This combination, according to Mercedes-AMG, allows the AMG GT to charge at 600 kW, recoup nearly 250 miles of EPA range in just 10 minutes of charging, and deliver a consistently high discharge rate enabling that 1,000+ horsepower. 

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Source: Mercedes-AMG

To manage such high performance, Mercedes-AMG used various cooling systems and a new cell design. The automaker is using slim and tall cylindrical cells measuring 4.1 inches high and 1 inch in diameter. This smaller diameter, Mercedes said, reduces the distance from the cell core to the surface, allowing faster and more efficient heat dissipation. 

The cells themselves are encased in laser-welded aluminum, allowing them to cool down or warm up faster. Coolant flows evenly around each of the 2,660 individual cells to dissipate heat, the company says. Mercedes also incorporated what it calls “on-demand cooling” to keep temperatures even for each battery module. If one part of the battery gets hotter, the system can cool it down precisely, rather than increasing coolant flow to the entire pack and potentially wasting energy or over-cooling other areas. 

At the heart of all this is a coolant pump module, an oil-water heat exchanger, and a central coolant hub. The pump pushes the coolant across the pack, while the heat exchanger removes heat. The coolant hub further streamlines the coolant into one compact housing. It helps the AMG GT with targeted cooling of components. For example, if the battery pack is operating at ideal temperatures, the system can redirect the coolant towards components that need more cooling, like the electric drive units.  

Combined, Mercedes-AMG said the systems can remove about 20 kilowatts of heat, significantly more than the 5-8 kW of cooling capacity in a typical EV battery’s thermal management system. 

On paper, it all sounds remarkable. But the real test will come once the AMG GT hits the road and the years after that, when we find out whether this battery can hold up with minimal degradation and sustained performance over time. The bigger hope, though, is that this technology eventually finds its way into mass-market models. Blistering charging speeds shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for six-figure EVs.

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

It’s been a bit since our last episode of the Honda Passport TrailSport long-term series. But then again, it’s been the dead of winter here in the Midwest, and I covered snow- and cold-weather driving at the turn of the year, so it’s been, uh, more of the same since then. Luckily, it’s early April now, and we’ve had a few days of fair weather recently—even got up into the 70s for a random, freak weekend. So, I did what any logical person would do: I went off-roading.

With plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures on our side, I packed up both kids and the usual gear (tow strap, air pressure gauge, flag, gloves, tools, etc.) and headed to the off-road park. Now, despite having the Passport for nearly seven months by that point, I hadn’t gone off-roading yet. I was saving that for the end of my time with it in case I rolled the thing or something. And given that I didn’t go on the first media drive of this thing—that was Andrew Collins—this was also my first time off-roading the new Passport, period. I had done so in the previous-gen, but not this one. I was truly looking forward to it, given my experience with the more-capable-than-you’d-think Pilot TrailSport.

If you want to revisit previous installments before reading the latest update, here are the shortcuts:

The Basics

In case you’re not super familiar with the Passport’s specs, here are the basics: the 3.5-liter V6 produces 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque and is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Honda’s second-gen Intelligent Variable Torque Management four-wheel-drive system sends power to all four wheels, while Trail Torque Logic with Snow, Trail, and Sand modes manages power, torque, and slip settings depending on trail conditions.

The TrailSport trim offers 8.3 inches of ground clearance, underbody protection, and knobby 31-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels. Approach and departure angles are 23° and 23.1°, respectively. There’s a front MacPherson strut setup and a multi-link setup in the rear, with trim-specific tuning. There’s also Hill-Start Assist and Hill-Descent Control, and surround-view cameras (including front camera) to help on- and off-road.

Off-Roading

TrailSport is a comprehensive upgrade that’s not just for looks. No, it doesn’t turn a Honda SUV into a Wrangler or a Defender, and yes, it’s a huge sales hook for Honda to appeal to “rugged-look enthusiasts,” but to say it’s purely cosmetic would be wrong. Even if the hardware upgrades don’t look so intense (though the suspension and tires alone play a huge role in its capability), it’s the tuning and how it all comes together that truly elevate the Passport’s off-road chops.

Having visited this off-road park in Northwest Indiana for over a decade, I know the trails there pretty well, and I’ve driven dozens of vehicles there over the years. Given that the terrain was fairly dry and there weren’t many patches of snow or even mud, I ventured on the same trail that I had most recently taken a Lexus GX550 and a Defender 90 before that. A bit ambitious, but there are enough alternatives to slip into an easier trail along the way should I need to.

The first detail that stood out was how compliant the suspension was. As I’ve said in my reviews, the suspension can feel quite soft and springy on the road, especially when speeding around town, but in crater-filled, rutted trails, the Passport felt right at home. Wheel articulation at low and moderate speeds was great, and the General Grabbers felt up to the task when climbing up or slipping down hills. I mostly stuck to Trail driving mode, which allowed generous wheel slip on surfaces with loose dirt and kept throttle input smooth on uphills.

After peddling up a rocky creek with about a foot of water, I lined up for a steep and technical climb that featured a big boulder protruding from the ground on the left side near the top, while below, some gnarly tree roots stuck out on the right side. Having done it before, the trick is to keep the car all the way to the left, as close as possible to the wall of dirt, but not so much that it slides to the right due to too much sideways tilt. If that happens, you’ll need two new doors from the car resting against the tree roots and rocks. If you want to get through this with minimal risk and stress, you gotta keep a steady speed despite the steep incline and the need to maneuver the wheel. If you want to make things more exciting, you can creep up slowly and really feel the suspension, the tires, and the terrain software do their thing. You can also hear the loose dirt getting crushed under the tires. It’s a great feeling.

I took it up pretty slowly, and even decided to stop at the most critical point, mostly because the Passport felt so sure-footed. My assistant (a.k.a son) took some photos, though remember, none of these obstacles look as intense in photos as they are in real life. I can reassure you, this was not a light challenge.

Happy with its performance, I kept going on this same trail, digging into some truly deep ruts that tested the Passport’s ground clearance. The 8.3 inches of ground clearance on tap felt adequate, and you don’t always want more than that on a street-driven daily. It’s actually the same as a Jeep Grand Cherokee and 0.5 inches more than a Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend. A Defender with the standard suspension offers 9 inches. That said, when you venture into a trail that’s mostly traversed by vehicles with 11+ inches of clearance, you’re going to bottom out in a few places and drag the bottom through the rest. I felt confident in the Passport’s underbody protection, and despite a few big clunks, I never lost traction, got hung up, or caused any damage.

After a few medium-speed runs through the sand, I headed toward the quarry section of the park, where there are some very technical trails, mostly made of rock. I knew this would be a challenge for the Passport given its ride height, but I went for it anyway.

Next thing I knew, I had the front left and rear right in the air, and the SUV was teeter-tottering over a rock formation. It felt unnerving from the inside, but the Passport never felt like it was being pushed beyond its limits. The brakes kept the tires intermittently clamped down, while I, little by little, made my way down to level ground. In fact, that was the takeaway of the day: despite being put through challenges no ordinary owner would ever do, it never lost its composure. It never lost that typical cool-as-a-cucumber Honda attitude.

The next obstacle put the SUV’s approach and departure angles to the test, and while I had to bail out of a more aggressive approach because I didn’t want to damage the front bumper, this other alternative would surely drag the rear. Once again, I found myself in an uncomfortable driving position, my body leaning against the door because of the tilt of the rocks. With my son spotting, I inched forward while taking the best line up the rocks. Suddenly, the middle of the car bottomed out, but I had enough momentum to keep it moving forward. Then, the trailer hitch started dragging, but I kept going until I could fully climb out of the hole. Phew.

Through all of this, we were listening to music, had our seat warmers on, and had a decent view of the trail thanks to its many cameras. It’s not the sophisticated Defender I off-roaded for several days in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, but it became evident that this mainstream SUV could kick some serious ass off-road. I wasn’t surprised. Not one bit.

Verdict

No one, and I really mean no one, will put their Passport, bought with their hard-earned cash, through the kind of stuff I did. Not because people aren’t adventurous, but because 99.9% of these will be daily drivers, and the folks who want a trail-rated machine will buy something else. Still, it’s great to know just how capable it is with literally zero modifications.

After 12,000 on-road miles, it was 10 or so off-road miles that made me love my long-term Passport that much more. It’s such a versatile and capable SUV that never ceases to amaze. If anything, the fact that I couldn’t permanently disable the parking sensor warning sound was the only negative that day, though I could mute them once they started going off.

Email the author at jerry@thedrive.com

Lucid’s upcoming midsize platform will open a new chapter for the California automaker, one that’s arguably its most consequential yet. The luxury EV maker is rapidly burning cash, and the midsize models may be its clearest shot at profitability. But success is far from guaranteed in this highly competitive environment.

When I walked into the Investor Day conference in New York City last week, I expected the same industry playbook: plenty of hype, missing details, and bold promises with little substance. What I got was the exact opposite of that.

Lucid bombarded us with information. The automaker not only shared a clear roadmap but also brought along a Cosmos prototype for an early preview and then surprised us with the Lunar robotaxi concept. It went a step further, showing us the midsize EV’s body in white, its new Atlas drive unit, and a look at its next-generation electrical architecture. Photography wasn’t permitted, but I can tell you everything I saw.

With a starting price of around $50,000, the Cosmos midsize crossover will lock horns with the Tesla Model Y, Rivian R2, BMW iX3, Volvo EX60, and a growing list of newer EVs jostling for a share of the segment.

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Source: Suvrat Kothari

Lucid Cosmos Exterior Design

The automaker brought along a shiny red prototype at the event, with officials claiming it was a near-final design. And it indeed looked that way. There were no concept-car-like fender bulges, unusually large wheels, or any other outlandish design elements that would never make it to production.

At first glance, the Cosmos looked like a baby Gravity with a coupe-like roofline. It has a stubby, curvaceous nose and illuminated Lucid emblems at both ends with spaced-out letters in a much larger font than on the Air and Gravity.

The sharp, angled daytime-running lights and Matrix headlamps give it a striking appearance. There’s also a front-facing lidar sensor embedded in the grille to support Lucid’s personal autonomy and robotaxi ambitions.

The side profile reveals a cab-forward greenhouse similar to the Gravity. But the biggest change here is the manual door handles. They still sit flush with the bodywork, but now have a carved-out recess where you can insert your hand and pull the lever back to open the door.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

It’s a small but meaningful departure that’s part of a broader industry reckoning with electronic door handles, which have sparked safety controversies worldwide. When the low-voltage battery powering them fails, the handles can fail too. Automakers are now returning to manual door handles to prevent that from happening.

The rear end of the Cosmos is where things get polarizing. Think Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron, but lower, sportier, and more aggressive. The slippery shape helps the Cosmos achieve a 0.22 coefficient of drag and enables a projected range of over 300 miles. But how broadly people will like it remains an open question.

Derek Jenkins, the Senior Vice President of Design and Brand at Lucid, explained why Cosmos’ sharp rear end looked the way it did. He said the automaker needed a solution for several functional requirements at the back.

“It’s a three-dimensional puzzle,” Jenkins told a group of reporters at the Investor Day. “You not only (want) great space and headroom, but also a great cargo area, great rear visibility, and a great aerodynamic taper.”

Jenkins acknowledged the rear would be an acquired taste, but said it was inevitable given the functional requirements, and felt confident it solved many of the traditional drawbacks that come with a coupe shape.

The exact cargo dimensions remain unconfirmed, but both the rear cargo area and frunk looked generously sized on the prototype.

Lucid Cosmos Interior Design

Inside, the Cosmos felt minimalist and upscale. The steering wheel is identical to the Gravity’s. The curved display and center console screen have been replaced with a single, wide display stretching from behind the steering wheel across to the passenger side. However, it stops short of a full pillar-to-pillar span like the MBUX Hyperscreen on Mercedes-Benz EVs. It’s slightly offset toward the driver.

Lucid made the switch from the Gravity’s screen layout to better support autonomy-related features and to create a more shared experience in the cabin. Jenkins called that a “democratic experience” for passengers.

“We have a lot of plans for how to show navigation, how to show our AI system,” Jenkins said. “Third-party applications could occupy not just a small portion of the screen, but perhaps the entire screen if it were the right opportunity, either through higher levels of autonomy, or even when the car is stationary while charging.”

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

A right-hand drive version of this screen is also planned, which will come with different mounting points. The automaker is planning to expand to seven European countries this year, including the U.K. and Germany.

The interior will offer a mix of fabric and “non-leather” seat materials depending on the trims, with recycled materials on the door panels. And thankfully, Lucid is not ditching the physical buttons, so drivers can easily access important functions like climate and volume without getting lost in touchscreen menus.

While the Cosmos has a sporty and performance-focused design, the Earth will have a more squared-off silhouette, going by the teasers shared by the automaker. A third, unnamed model will be more adventure-oriented, Lucid said.

Lucid Cosmos Range, Battery Options And Charging

While Lucid didn’t confirm the exact battery size and driving range for the Cosmos, CEO Marc Winterhoff said the midsize platform will offer both lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery packs.

LFP is the dominant battery type in China, known for its durability, lower cost, and less reliance on rare earth materials. The trade-off is energy density. LFP batteries are less energy-dense compared to NMC packs, which makes them more suited for lower-priced, entry-level trims. That said, advancements in packaging by Chinese battery giants have narrowed the range gap considerably in recent years.

Lucid said the midsize platform only needs 69 kilowatt-hours of capacity to achieve 300 miles of range. The actual battery size and range could be higher, and that’s something we’ll know more about further down the road. But it sounds like a promising start, as most electric SUVs need bigger packs to deliver that kind of range.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

The Cosmos’ battery will also have a structural design, similar to the Tesla Model Y. Its power electronics are housed under the rear seats, which is great for serviceability since most battery issues often trace back to the electronics and not individual cells, Lucid said. This way, technicians don’t have to lift the car and lower the battery for repairs; they can simply access the power electronics from under the rear seats. 

This is also an 800-volt battery architecture, capable of adding 200 miles of range in just 14 minutes of charging. That’s comfortably faster than the Model Y and the new Rivian R2, and in a similar ballpark as the BMW iX3 and the Volvo EX60. 

It will also support an important feature most Teslas don’t have yet: AC bidirectional charging. That will include vehicle-to-home (V2H), vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities. So you will be able to power external appliances, light up your camping site, and even power your home with the appropriate installation and equipment.

Power will be moved into and out of the vehicle via a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, positioned at the rear left of the car.

Lucid Cosmos Centralized Architecture

The midsize platform takes the Gravity’s zonal architecture a step further with a centralized architecture. That means a simpler, more capable electrical and computing system that also costs less to build.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

The automaker showed us a torn-down version of this electrical system, and the component count looked shockingly lean. While the Gravity has about twelve electronic control units (ECUs), the midsize platform has a total of only three ECUs. There’s a large central ECU and one each on both sides of the car. ECUs are essentially the computers serving as the “brains” of the car, controlling and managing its various functions.

The result is that the Cosmos has just 0.6 miles (1.1 kilometers) of wiring, which is less than the Tesla Model Y’s 0.8 miles and the Xiaomi SU7’s 1.4 miles, according to Lucid. Fewer ECUs will allow more frequent over-the-air updates, and enable more AI and autonomous features over time due to the simplicity of the system, Lucid said. It also simplifies vehicle assembly and lowers manufacturing costs, which is critical for the automaker to hit that $50,000 starting price.

Lucid Cosmos “Atlas” Drive Motor

In a closed room, Lucid officials showed us the new Atlas drive unit that will go into its midsize EVs. A drive unit typically consists of a planetary reduction gear set, differential, rotor, stator, along with an inverter and an integrated cooling system.

To illustrate just how compact Atlas is, Lucid placed it alongside the drive units from a Model Y, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Gravity. Atlas looked visibly smaller than both the Tesla and Hyundai units, and even smaller than Lucid’s own Zeus motor from the Gravity. The Ioniq 5’s unit looked bulky, by comparison.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Atlas has 30% fewer parts compared to Zeus, a 37% lower bill of materials, and is 23% lighter. And the front and rear Atlas drive units are essentially the same, further lowering the manufacturing complexity. Its tiny size also explains the Cosmos’ excellent packaging and interior roominess—both of which are also the Gravity’s hallmarks.

With 40% better power density and 10% better energy efficiency than the Model Y’s drive unit, Lucid is projecting the Cosmos to deliver up to 4.5 miles per kilowatt-hour of efficiency. Most EVs in the U.S. today deliver between 2.5 and 4.0 miles per kWh of efficiency in the real world. Although efficiency also gets affected by driving style, climate, and road conditions.

On the performance front, you can expect the all-wheel drive versions to go from 0-60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, while the rear-wheel drive models will be the range and efficiency champions.

Lucid Cosmos Body And Megacastings

I also saw the Comos’ body in white, which is the bare steel and aluminum shell of the car before the powertrain, interior, and chassis components are installed.

A notable difference here was the lack of gigacastings. Lucid engineers said that instead of casting the entire front or rear underbody as a single massive aluminum piece—as Tesla, Volvo, and a growing number of automakers have done to cut costs—the Cosmos uses smaller steel and aluminum castings along with aluminum extrusions.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

However, it does use megacastings above the wheel arches on all four corners. Lucid said avoiding the larger gigacastings will help keep insurance costs down and lower the total cost of ownership over time. It’s a direct response to a well-documented concern in the industry, where EVs have faced criticism for being expensive to repair after even minor collisions.

Avoiding gigacastings also allowed engineers to design a multi-stage crumple zone up front, which is the part of the body that gets impacted in a frontal collision. This first collision layer is designed to absorb minor impacts and repair easily. A second, stronger layer handles more serious collisions while keeping the shell intact, and repairs still feasible. But gigacasting does tend to lower production costs, so there’s a tradeoff here. We’ll know more about whether it was worth it when we see how much the Cosmos costs, and how easy to repair it really is. 

Looking Forward

Lucid plans to make the Cosmos in Saudi Arabia initially and the U.S. eventually. Initial production will begin in Saudi Arabia by the end of this year, and some early batches will first head to the U.S. The plant in King Abdullah Economic City, outside of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will cater to the Middle East, Europe, and other global markets in the future. About six to 12 months after production in Saudi Arabia begins, Lucid is also planning to begin secondary production at its Arizona factory, where most U.S. market cars will be built in the long-term. 

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the midsize EVs are also central to Lucid’s robotaxi dreams. Lucid has already confirmed that the midsize models will launch on the Uber platform in the future. Given the current geopolitical climate and ongoing supply chain disruption due to the war in Iran, the midsize EVs could face some headwinds. However, Lucid officials said the war in Iran had not slowed down things just yet.

But based on everything we know today, the Cosmos will indeed be the most important car Lucid has ever made. And if it lives up to these promises, it could be a game-changer for the brand.

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com

• Tesla confirms it’s turning Semi charging from a tiny pilot program into a real long-haul Megacharger network.
• The Megacharger map lists 64 new locations showing actual usable corridors for trucks to take.
• Tesla’s Semi push is not limited to the United States; Europe is clearly in the plans too.

There are currently just two Tesla Megachargers charging Tesla Semi trucks. One near Stockton, California, and another near Reno, Nevada. But their number will increase rapidly now that Tesla has added 64 additional Megacharger locations listed as “coming soon.”

The manufacturer hasn’t provided an exact timeline for the Megacharger rollout, but its Q4 shareholder report contained a map showing 37 locations that would enter service in 2026. Previously, in April of 2025, Tesla’s Semi program boss, Dan Priestly, said at the ACT Expo that the company aimed to have 46 Megachargers online by early 2027.

Photo by: Tesla

Tesla could have added more chargers to its 2027 rollout plan or the remaining 18 locations will be built at a later date. California and Texas will have over 50% of these new Megachargers, with 18 and 17 locations, respectively, and important hubs are also coming to Washington state, Georgia and Florida, as well as the city of Chicago, which has four locations planned. The goal of the expansion is to create corridors that enable viable routes across the United States.

The news of the Megacharger network expansion comes from Jason Gies, who works for Tesla’s business development department for the Semi truck. He said in a LinkedIn post that “You can see Megachargers and coming soon sites forming a backbone across the country. Chicago is becoming a real anchor. The Southeast is filling in. Corridors are starting to connect, not just scatter pins.”

After missing the original plan to start production of the Semi in 2019, it is finally starting in 2026. Tesla has given the truck a refresh, updated its specs, and confirmed it can charge at 1.2 megawatts. In late December, Tesla published a video on X showing a live charging session of a Semi topping up from a Megacharger and reaching over 1.2 MW (1,206 kW).

The Semi will be available in Standard Range form with up to 325 miles of range, fully loaded, or in the bigger-battery Long Range model, which pushes the range to 500 miles. Tesla doesn’t state the battery sizes for either version, but they should be around 550 kW and 875 kW, respectively, and both can charge to 60% in around 30 minutes.

Tesla is also looking to establish a Megacharger network in Europe, where it plans to launch the Semi at some point in the near future. We don’t have details yet, and all we know now is that David Forer, a senior project developer for charging at Tesla, mentioned Megachargers in Europe when discussing a job listing on LinkedIn.

In an interview posted yesterday on X, Elon Musk confirmed that a European version of the Semi is also planned and it should arrive “hopefully next year.” This confirms the need for a European Megachager network, although that’s likely further in the future, and it may initially be one or two locations, just like it is right now in the U.S., before the planned expansion.

There’s a key challenge with some electric vehicles’ door handle design. If the door handles pop out electronically, a dead battery can leave you locked out, and unable to open the hood. Without hood access, you probably won’t know how to jumpstart a dead low-voltage battery, leaving you locked out. 

Here’s how you solve that issue, at least if you own a Rivian R1T or R1S. The latest video from Out Of Spec Bits breaks down the process, which is similar to the process for most EVs with pop-out door handles. 

In the video, Kyle and Scot from Out Of Spec start with a 2026 Rivian R1S that is completely dead. Both the low- and high-voltage batteries are dead, a worst-case scenario for an EV. Without a functioning 12-volt battery, you often can’t engage the charging system on the high-voltage battery. That’s why jump-starting the 12-volt battery is the first step.

For most EVs, there is a manual way to get into the cabin or hood. On Gen 2 Rivian R1s, there’s no manual way to get in, but there are a pair of wires in the trailer wiring harness that can be used as jump leads. By connecting a jump box or another vehicle’s battery to these cables, you can power up the vehicle’s low-voltage power system and engage high-voltage charging.

Unfortunately, the video shows that this is all easier said than done. The Rivian requires a consistent 12-volt signal to power up its door handles and screens, and a portable roadside jump-box isn’t quite enough. Even a larger lead-acid model isn’t enough to get the on-board charger to accept an AC connection and begin charging. 

This is where you connect the jump box to a Rivian R1S or R1T.

Photo by: Out of Spec Reviews (YouTube)

To solve that, Out Of Spec jumps the Rivian the old-fashioned way, with a pair of jumper cables and a gas car. The Rivian takes so much load that you can hear the Ford Crown Victoria’s engine rev up, but that’s enough to get it charging. From there, the DC-to-DC converter handles the rest of the low-voltage charging, while the wall plug and onboard charger juice up the traction battery.

For most EVs, it won’t be this challenging. Modern EV battery systems are designed to keep the 12-volt batteries topped up, and most are easy to jump start when they inevitably expire. Still, if you want to avoid dealing with this, the advice is the same. Always replace your car’s 12-volt battery every three to five years, or at least get it tested to ensure it’s still strong. You’d hate to walk up one day and find your power door handles tucked away, unable to open.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com