Connect with us

Published

on

As this article goes live onto the interwebs, American EV automaker Lucid Motors is pulling the cloak off its second model and first-ever SUV – the Gravity. Today’s unveiling at AutoMobility LA is years in the making and represents the next chapter for Lucid, who looks to garner a larger audience of American consumers with its encore EV. Lots to unfold here, including some video footage you can peep below, so let’s dig in.

Today’s public milestone puts a bookend on Lucid Motor’s first production chapter and opens up an entirely new… space… in the market of larger EVs. We at Electrek have been following Gravity’s evolution ever since its makers teased its arrival at the end of the launch video of its flagship Air sedan back in 2021.

Since then, we’ve speculated on what Lucid’s sophomore model would look like, taking cues from patent filings and brief updates during quarterly reports. However, Lucid had remained quite mum about the Gravity SUV – at least until nearly a year ago to the day, when it shared its first official images.

By spring, we got video footage of public road testing and our best look at the overall exterior styling of the Gravity, albeit camouflaged. In August, Lucid shared it had about 30, three-row SUVs built, as it finalized development which remained on track for a launch in November.

That brings us to Los Angeles today, where for the first time ever, the general public gets its first full look at the Gravity inside and out. I got the chance to see it up close yesterday (more on that later), but to begin, check out these exterior images before we dig into the SUV’s specs.

Lucid’s Gravity SUV has arrived on Earth and its a sight

Upon first glance, you’ll notice this is a Lucid EV through and through. That’s interesting to type, as the automaker has only delivered one other model to date, but the Air sedan originally set the brand’s tone for a design language that is inherently lux and it has only been sharpened in Gravity.

It may be tough to distinguish from the images above, but one of the first details you’ll notice from the outside is how low the SUV rides (155 mm height in pre-production specs). That said, it still offers a wheelbase that’s only slightly shorter than the Rivian R1S, offering plenty of room for its third row.

To demonstrate its interior space (112 cubic feet of total usable cargo space with seats folded down), Lucid recruited some of its more vertically gifted team members to climb into the SUV and showcase how much room they had. Some people that were 6′ 4″ or taller sat comfortably in the second and third rows.

Although there is plenty of legroom in the interior thanks to Lucid’s long 900V platform, the Gravity does sacrifice a bit of “greenhouse” above to maximize its range and efficiency. There’s still plenty of headroom, but less compared to other SUVs on the current market – but we’d argue most consumers would forego a glass dome above their heads if it means better aerodynamics and range.

Speaking of which, official numbers aren’t in yet, but Lucid shared it is targeting a drag coefficient below 0.24 with the Gravity SUV, which would usurp the Tesla Model X as the production SUV with the lowest Cd on the planet. Lucid’s senior vice president of design and brand, Derek Jenkins spoke to the elements that went into bringing Gravity to fruition on today’s LA stage.

At Lucid, we believe in pushing the boundaries of design. We have leaned into this belief to  maximize spaciousness, aerodynamic efficiency, and utility, resulting in an electric SUV with a  previously unseen blend of attributes. Whether it’s a cargo-swallowing SUV for family camping trips or a long-range  grand tourer covering hundreds of miles between stops, Gravity is designed to be versatile. Our  team’s dedication to creating an SUV that seamlessly fuses form and function has resulted in a  vehicle that’s visually striking, incredibly versatile, and provides an elevated luxury driving  experience.

One last cool little tidbit I learned about the Gravity yesterday is that all models will come with two different wheel sizes between the front and rear. Options are 21″ and 20″, or 22″ and 21″.

Next, let’s check out the interior, where you’ll noticed some exciting changes compared to the Air sedan.

While a first look will probably trigger a nod to the minimalist yet purposeful tightrope of luxury Lucid continues to masterfully toe, the dashboard of its first SUV introduces some welcomed changes.

For instance, Lucid has moved its display panel up above the steering wheel. Referred to as the “Clearview Cockpit,” this 34-inch curved OLED display now sits uninterrupted (the Air has three separate screens) above a new steering wheel design.

Sitting in the driver’s seat myself yesterday, I can say the wheel is positioned in such a way that appears quite low before you sit down, but is actually perfectly placed to provide comfort and stability to your arms, while offering a complete line of sight to the display and road ahead.

You’ll also notice the center console display has been turned horizontally compared the vertical screen in the Air. Earlier this month, we surmised we might see this screen rotation in the Gravity after Lucid announced the addition of streaming apps like Apple and Amazon Music with “more media apps to follow.” How are you going to watch videos on a vertical screen? Exactly.

As you can see in the image above, Lucid’s Gravity SUV also features a new glass center console that slides open for additional storage and wireless phone charging. But wait, what about that frunk we mentioned? Lucid describes it as “substantial,” but that’s a bit of an understatement. The specific design of the hood and its latches leave plenty of room up front. In fact, the frunk can be used as a lounge if desired. Check it out.

How about that? Just casually lounging inside the hood of your new SUV? What a time to be alive. While the front FRONT seat may be slightly gimmicky, it does showcase the overall space of the Gravity’s frunk and Lucid’s expertise in maximizing every square inch in its vehicles.

Another factor Lucid is excellent is maximizing is range and efficiency – so last but certainly not least, let’s break down the performance specs, pricing, and when you can drive the SUV yourself.

Lucid Gravity specs, pricing, and availability

Alright, time for the juicy stuff. To begin, we’ve learned that Lucid will roll out trims to match its Air sibling, meaning the launch version of the SUV is called the Dream Edition (seen above), followed by a GT, Touring, and the most price-friendly – Pure.

During this morning’s debut, Lucid rolled out the Dream Edition version of the Gravity in silver (although there is not an exclusive exterior color this go around like there was for the Air launch). Joining the Dream Edition on stage was a “Stealth” version of Gravity, complete with blacked out wheels, trim, and a new color for the Lucid configurator called “Aurora Green.” Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson also spoke to its next iteration of electric mobility in front of the crowd in LA:

The Gravity SUV represents a significant leap forward for Lucid’s world-leading technology and  design. Customers will find an unprecedented combination of space and maneuverability,  luxury, and versatility, all seamlessly integrated into one remarkable vehicle with the driving  experience and range of a true Lucid. Lucid’s  innovative proprietary EV powertrain technology and our holistic approach to vehicle  engineering already enabled the Air sedan to redefine what was thought possible from a luxury sports sedan. With Gravity, these innovations evolved and our next generation technology is applied with even greater effect, resulting in an electric SUV that can achieve over 440 miles of  range with a battery pack a little more than half the size of some of our battery-hungry  competitors.

Please note, the specs shared today pertain to the top tier launch trim of the SUV and remain pre-production model specs that are subject to change. We are certain to learn more as we get closer to the official start of Gravity sales next year. Here’s what we know:

  • Platform Architecture: 900V
  • Battery Capacity: “About the same size as Air” (113 kWh)
  • Range: Up to 440 miles (Lucid Motors’ estimate)
  • Charging: Up to 200 miles in 15 minutes (on 350kW DCFC)
  • Horsepower: Over 800 hp
  • 0-60 mph Acceleration: Under 3.5 seconds
  • Payload Capacity: 1,500 lbs.
  • Towing Capacity: 6,000 lbs.
  • Cargo Capacity: 112 cubic feet
  • Drag Coefficient: <0.24 (targeted)

As for pricing, our best idea of MSRPs begins with the aforementioned Pure trim, which Lucid says will start below $80,000. That could mean potential federal tax incentives, since it’s built in the US. Like the Air, Pure is almost certainly the last version of the Gravity we will see on the assembly lines… except perhaps, for the tri-motor Sapphire model you can most certainly expect to see announced someday.

As for pricing of the other Gravity trims, we were told to expect MSRPs to resemble those of the Air sedan, whose Pure, Touring, and Grand Touring trims are currently set at $74,900, $87,500, and $115,600 respectively. Expect the Dream Edition Gravity to eclipse all those numbers.

We are certain to learn more details of how these models will vary in specs and pricing in 2024, as Lucid moves closer to Gravity production in Arizona scheduled for late next year. That’s all for now. Lucid said it will upload a video of today’s unveiling at AutoMobility LA which we will add when it’s posted.

In the meantime, here’s a launch video showing the Gravity SUV in great detail. Enjoy!

Credit: Lucid Motors

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Humans step up as Texas steps back from autonomous trucking

Published

on

By

Humans step up as Texas steps back from autonomous trucking

Texas technology firm Aurora made headlines earlier this month by launching the first fully autonomous freight service in the US – but those celebrations may have been premature. According to the company’s CEO, human operators are back in the saddle.

In a blog post written by Aurora CEO, Chris Urmson, the company said the decision to put a human operator back behind the wheel of its tech-boosted Peterbilt Class 8 semi trucks was a result of pressure from the truck manufacturer’s parent company PACCAR. PACCAR apparently wanted a human in place, “because of certain prototype parts in their base vehicle platform.”

In Urmson’s own words:

A core part of our strategy has always been building a strong ecosystem of partners across the industry — from OEMs to logistics providers to regulators. These partnerships are essential to delivering a safe, scalable, commercial product.

One of those partners, PACCAR, requested we have a person in the driver’s seat, because of certain prototype parts in their base vehicle platform. We are confident this is not required to operate the truck safely based on the exhaustive testing (covering nearly 10,000 requirements and 2.7 million tests) and analysis that populates our safety case. PACCAR is a long-time partner and, after much consideration, we respected their request and are moving the observer, who had been riding in the back of some of our trips, from the back seat to the front seat. This observer will not operate the vehicle — the Aurora Driver will continue to be fully responsible for all driving tasks, including pulling over to a safe location if required. And we’ve shown we can do that safely, with the Aurora Driver operating for more than 6,000 driverless miles along our commercial launch lane between Dallas and Houston. This change has no impact on our near, mid and long-term development plans.

CHRIS URMSON, AURORA CEO

The re-introduction of human operators comes just as Texas State lawmakers are reviewing House Bill 4402 – a proposed law just passed out of the Texas House Committee on Transportation and would require trained human operators in autonomous vehicles, effectively banning fully self driving semi trucks in Texas.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

“Requiring a human operator in a driverless truck isn’t unreasonable — it’s common sense,” says Brent Taylor, President of Teamsters Joint Council 80 in Dallas, Texas, and Southern Region International Vice President. Adding, that, “there are hundreds of thousands of Texans who turn a key for a living. They have mortgages, medical bills, and families to support. We can’t let out-of-state billionaires steal their jobs with reckless automation. We must protect their livelihoods by passing this critical bill into law.”

The Teamsters have supported a number of bills nationwide that require human operators in autonomous commercial vehicles, including two such bills that have passed both houses in California, only to be vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Electrek’s Take


Aurora “driverless” semi truck; via Aurora.

A national driver and equipment operator shortage continues to make headlines, but companies would rather avoid talking about operator pay plummeting – opting, instead, to invest big money into self-driving and autonomous technology to bridge the gap.

I remain convinced that we could solve that operator shortage by taking some of the billions being funneled into “self driving” and spent it on operators’ salaries. Heck, while operator salaries have increased about 24% since 1978, the CEOs at the truck and trucking companies have seen their pay soar dramatically, increasing over 1,000% in the same period. (!) You can’t say that last bit too loud, though: those guys are president now.

Go get ’em, Texas.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Aurora.


Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. The best part? No one will call you until after you’ve elected to move forward. Get started, hassle-free, by clicking here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Bollinger Motors circles the drain as court cases, debts pull it down [update]

Published

on

By

Bollinger Motors circles the drain as court cases, debts pull it down [update]

A federal court judge in Michigan has placed the once-promising electric truck brand Bollinger Motors’ assets into receivership following claims that the company’s owners still owe its founder, Robert Bollinger, more than $10 million.

UPDATE: Bollinger CEO, Bryan Chambers, says all is not lost.

Last week, we wrote about a multimillion dollar lawsuit that had thrown the Bollinger Brand into receivership, figuring that would be it for the startup electric truck brand. But our friends at Clean Trucking were able to connect with Bollinger CEO, Bryan Chambers, who says all is not lost.

“Receivership does not necessarily mean a company is headed toward liquidation,” explained Chambers. “In fact, receivership is often used to avoid liquidation and can be the best course of action to help a company move forward … we continue to sell and service our trucks and support our dealers and customers.”

Advertisement – scroll for more content

You can read more about Chambers’ comments here, and check out the original article (and official Michigan court filings) below.


Bollinger Motors first came to fame in the “draw a truck, get a billion dollars” stage of the EV revolution that saw Nikola rise to a higher market cap than Ford for a brief time. Robert Bollinger wasn’t able to capitalize quickly enough to get his trucks into production, though – and a late stage pivot to sell the brand to Mullen Automotive and launch a medium-duty commercial truck doesn’t appear to have been enough to save it.

Now, Automotive News is reporting on some of the more convoluted details of the deal, with Robert (for ease of distinguishing the man from the brand) claiming that Mullen Automotive owes him more than $10 million for a loan he made to the company in 2024.

Mullen’s response was perfectly clear: they didn’t even bother to show up to court.

Bollinger claims that at least two suppliers are also suing the company for unpaid debts. As such, the Honorable Terrence G. Berg has put the Bollinger brand into receivership, and its assets have been frozen in preparation for everything being liquidated. Worse, for Bollinger, the official court filings reveal a company that is really very much doing not awesome:

The testimony and evidence—which Defendant’s counsel conceded accurately reflected Defendant’s finances—showed that Defendant is in crisis. For months Defendant has owed more than twenty million dollars to suppliers, contractors, service providers, and owners of physical space. These debts are owed to parties who are critical for Defendant’s functioning. CEO Bryan Chambers testified that Defendant was locked out of its production facilities on May 5, 2025, and that the owner of the production facilities was seeking to permanently evict Defendant. The Court heard that Defendant had been prevented from accessing its critical manufacturing accounting system for a short time at the end of April 2025, before making a partial payment to restart services.

US DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN

I’m not sure if you caught all that, but Bollinger’s CEO has been locked out of the company’s facilities and is currently getting evicted, the company is more than $20 million in debt, and that debt is owed to people Bollinger absolutely needs in order to keep going.

You can read the full court decision, which I’ve embedded here, below. Once you’ve taken it all in, feel free to rush into the comments to say you told me so, since I really thought hoped the Bollinger B1 had a shot. Silly me.

Bollinger v. Bollinger case

SOURCES: Automotive News, Justia, Yahoo!.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

At Trump’s $148 million meme coin dinner, ‘the food sucked’ and security was lax, attendee says

Published

on

By

At Trump's 8 million meme coin dinner, 'the food sucked' and security was lax, attendee says

Crypto investor Nicholas Pinto attends President Donald Trump’s gala dinner for people who spent the most money on Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, in a contest, at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, May 22, 2025.

Nicholas Pinto

The price of President Donald Trump‘s meme coin plunged 16% as of Friday morning, just hours after he hosted a black-tie gala at his Virginia golf club for its biggest buyers — an elite crowd that spent a combined $148 million on the token for the chance to be there.

It was billed as “the most exclusive invitation in the world.”

Among the 220 attendees were crypto influencers, industry executives such as Sandy Carter of Unstoppable Domains, and former NBA star Lamar Odom, who used the occasion to praise Trump as “the greatest president” and promote his own token, $ODOM.

The top 25 wallets were promised a private reception and guided tour. Others, such as 25-year-old Nicholas Pinto — whose dad drove him to the event in his Lamborghini — left underwhelmed and still hungry.

“The food sucked,” Pinto said. “Wasn’t given any drinks other than water or Trump’s wine. I don’t drink, so I had water. My glass was only filled once.”

Trump made only a brief appearance, Pinto said. “He didn’t talk to any of the 220 guests — maybe the top 25,” he said.

All in, the president was there for 23 minutes, Pinto said. Trump delivered a brief address rehashing old crypto talking points then left on a helicopter before taking any questions or pictures with his meme coin contest winners, he said.

Phones weren’t locked in RFID pouches, and security was lax, according to Pinto.

“Once Trump left, they didn’t really worry about anything else,” Pinto added.

Contest winners who spent the most on $TRUMP meme coins added their signatures to a poster-sized printout of the leaderboard at a gala dinner at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, May 22, 2025.

Nicholas Pinto

The crowd’s opulence was on full display.

“Richard Mille watches weren’t even rare,” Pinto said. “I saw at least 16 people wearing them. I never see that unless I’m at a high-end restaurant in Miami or Dubai.”

But the vibe was more muted than expected, he said: “Lots of people didn’t even hold the coin anymore. They were checking their phones during dinner to see if the price moved.”

CNBC has reached out to Trump representatives for comment on the dinner and attendees.

Protests

For lawmakers and regulators, the dinner set off alarm bells.

The #1 token holder was Chinese-born crypto mogul Justin Sun, who is currently facing Securities and Exchange Commission fraud charges that were recently paused, with the agency citing “the public interest.”

Sun holds over $22 million in the $TRUMP token and another $75 million in World Liberty Financial’s native token.

“As the top holder of $TRUMP and proud supporter of President Trump, it was an honor to attend the Trump Gala Dinner,” Sun posted on Friday. “Thank you @POTUS for your unwavering support of our industry!”

Outside the gates of Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, about a hundred protesters gathered, according to NBC News. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., joined them, backing a new End Crypto Corruption Act with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Signs read “Crypto Corruption” and “Trump is a traitor.”

Crypto on Capitol Hill

“The Trump family activity in the memecoin space makes my work in Congress more complicated,” Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., told CNBC on Friday.

Hill, who’s leading negotiations on a bipartisan stablecoin regulation bill known as the GENIUS Act, called the gala “a distraction from the good work we need to do.”

Now, the GENIUS Act is at risk.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recently added a controversial rider to the bill that would cap credit card late fees — what’s seen as a poison pill that could alienate banking allies and stall final approval.

President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner for meme coin contest winners at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, May 22, 2025.

Nicholas Pinto

On Thursday night as the meme coin contest dinner was underway, a bloc of Senate Democrats announced they’d be pushing for a new provision that would ban presidents and senior officials from profiting off crypto ventures while in office — a direct challenge to the Trump-linked stablecoin USD1 that launched in the spring.

In Washington, there’s growing concern that political infighting over Trump’s crypto ventures could derail the stablecoin bill altogether. That poses an even bigger risk.

According to The Wall Street Journal, major banks including JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citi are in early talks to issue a unified digital dollar to compete with Tether, the foreign-controlled stablecoin that now commands over 60% of global market share.

Those plans hinge on legal clarity.

If the GENIUS Act stalls, the U.S. could lose its window to regain ground in the global race for digital payments.

The White House has tried to draw a line between Trump the president and Trump the private businessman.

“The president is attending it in his personal time. It is not a White House dinner,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when pressed on attendee transparency.

President Trump holds controversial private dinner for top investors in his meme coin

The administration declined to release a guest list. But blockchain data — and a patchwork of guest photos — tell part of the story.

A Bloomberg News analysis found that all but six of the top 25 wallets used foreign exchanges, ostensibly off-limits to U.S. users. More than half of the top 220 wallets were linked to similar offshore platforms.

One Nasdaq-listed penny stock, Freight Technologies, disclosed in an SEC filing that it spent $2 million on Trump’s token to push U.S.-Mexico trade policy. It didn’t make the cut for the dinner — finishing 250th.

Since its January debut, the $TRUMP coin has generated more than $324 million in trading fees. Roughly 80% of the $TRUMP token supply is controlled by the Trump Organization and affiliates, according to the project’s website.

WLFI, the Trump’s parallel token, has sold $550 million in two token sales.

President Trump holds meme coin dinner

Still, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks remained bullish on “significant bipartisan support” for stablecoin legislation.

“We already have over $200 billion in stablecoins — it’s just unregulated,” Sacks told CNBC’s “Closing Bell Overtime” on Wednesday. “If we provide the legal clarity and legal framework for this, I think we could create trillions of dollars of demand for our Treasurys practically overnight, very quickly.”

“We have every expectation now that it’s going to pass,” added Sacks, though he didn’t answer a question about concerns from Democrats that there aren’t sufficient safeguards in place to keep the president and his family from profiting from legislation.

While Sacks sold $200 million in crypto-related holdings before taking his White House job, according to a disclosure filing, Trump and his family have been leaning into building a crypto empire.

The Trumps are financial backers of World Liberty Financial, which is behind the USD1 stablecoin that is backed by Treasurys and dollar deposits.

Abu Dhabi’s MGX investment fund recently pledged $2 billion in USD1 to Binance, the world’s largest digital assets exchange. It’s the company’s largest-ever investment made in crypto.

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

President Trump hosts meme coin megadonors amid conflict of interest claims

Continue Reading

Trending