Lucid (LCID) is the first to earn the ‘Saudi Made’ badge on its EVs
The EV maker just secured another significant milestone as it looks to accelerate growth in 2025. Lucid (LCID) is now the first carmaker to earn the “Saudi Made” logo on its EVs. The badge symbolizes “quality, excellence, and customer trust” as The Kingdom shifts from oil to EVs.
Lucid EVs are the first to earn the Saudi Made badge
Lucid joined the Made in Saudi program this week, becoming the first OEM to receive the honor. The feat highlights Lucid’s role as Saudi Arabia moves to become a key EV production center.
In a statement, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef emphasized that Lucid becoming the first to earn the Saudi Made badge “signifies the Kingdom’s strategic transformation towards establishing a comprehensive ecosystem for the electric vehicle sector.”
Saudi Arabia is making a strong push to attract foreign investments. It’s no secret that Saudi is one of the world’s largest oil producers. As the industry shifts away from fossil fuels, the country is looking for new profit streams.
As part of its National Industrial Strategy, Saudi Arabia aims to create more economic diversity with non-oil income streams. The country aims for non-oil GDP to reach around 50% by 2030, up from around 16% in 2023.
Lucid is expected to play a big role in the transition. In 2023, the EV maker began reassembling Air models at its AMP-2 manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia. The plant can assemble around 5,000 vehicles a year in its first phase. Eventually, it will be able to support up to 155,000.
The plant is located in one of Saudi Arabia’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which offer lower tax rates, easy setup, access to labor, and tax-free imports of raw materials and machinery.
Lucid is considered an anchor in the King Abdullah Economic City, located directly on the Red Sea. The plant is expected to receive significant government support to help Saudi Arabia reduce its reliance on oil. In 2022, Lucid announced a deal to supply the Saudi government with up to 100,000 EVs.
Mr Abdul Mohsen Ababtain, Product Marketing Manager at Lucid Middle East, said earning the Saudi Made badge confirms its commitment to local manufacturing.
In the US, Lucid is coming off its fourth straight quarter with record deliveries in 2024. The company delivered over 10,200 vehicles last year, up 70% from the 6,001 in 2023. Lucid also announced this week that its first electric SUV, the Gravity, will use Panasonic’s new EV batteries with over 450 miles of driving range.
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The State of California is moving to ban the sale of Tesla cars amid claims that the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, have misled buyers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars. We’ve also got market-leading news out of Vietnam and a pricey, pricey lesson for one VW ID.Buzz buyer on today’s lesson-learning episode of Quick Charge!
We also ask what this might mean for the recent Uber/Lucid autonomous taxi tie-up and go through a full rundown of the fastest depreciating EVs on the market (and yes, there are four Tesla models in the top 10 … because the Cybertruck was too new to qualify).
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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. Get started here.
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Sunrun is putting tens of thousands of home batteries to work in Puerto Rico as the island’s electric grid faces a summer of high temperatures and energy shortfalls.
The company says it’s now dispatching energy from over 37,000 residential batteries to help grid operator LUMA keep the lights on. That stored power is being used to prevent rolling blackouts when demand spikes and centralized power plants can’t keep up.
Sunrun’s emergency power contribution has grown more than tenfold since last summer. LUMA expects more than 75 energy shortfall events between now and October, with each dispatch sending electricity to the grid for four consecutive hours. During several recent evenings, Sunrun and other virtual power plant (VPP) operators provided enough energy to offset a 50-megawatt generation gap, LUMA said.
Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said Puerto Rico’s aging infrastructure and intense weather patterns make home battery support increasingly critical:
It’s going to be a very difficult summer, which is why Sunrun has ramped up our dispatch capabilities, using tens of thousands of home batteries to support the grid and people of Puerto Rico.
She added that distributed power plants like Sunrun’s serve the same role as natural gas peaker plants – offering fast, reliable power during high-demand moments – but with clean energy.
Sunrun customers enrolled in the VPP will get paid too. Each participating battery earns about $200 minimum for the season, and customers who allow more of their stored energy to go to the grid earn even more. Sunrun also earns revenue for operating the VPP.
Read more: The US’s largest virtual power plant now runs on 75,000 home batteries
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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. Get started here.
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Volkswagen is advertising ID.4 leases starting at just $99 a month. It’s hard to find any car lease these days for under $100 a month, but for $45,000 electric SUV, it’s almost unheard of.
Volkswagen offers ID.4 leases as low as $99 a month
The Volkswagen ID.4 was the third top-selling EV in the US in January after the 2025 model year went back on sale.
Volkswagen’s electric SUV starts at $45,095 with an EPA-estimated driving range of 291 miles. It’s available in five different trims: Pro, AWD Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro S, and AWD Pro S Plus.
The base 2025 VW ID.4 Pro RWD is equipped with 282 hp from a single rear electric motor. Inside, it features a 12.9″ infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and Volkswagen’s new ID.Cockpit digital instrument display.
Upgrading to the AWD version will gain a tow hitch and an additional 53 hp, for a combined maximum of 335 hp. The added power comes at the cost of some range, with an EPA-estimated range of 263 miles.
Volkswagen was already offering 2025 ID.4 leases as low as $129 a month, but some dealers are listing it for even less this month.
A California dealership, Volkswagen of Garden Grove, has the 2025 ID.4 Pro RWD listed for lease at just $99 per month. The offer is for 24 months with $2,995 down. According to the dealer, the offer includes a $5,000 cash back bonus, good on a new ID.4 purchase or lease.
We thought the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 was a good deal with leases starting at just $179 per month, but for $99, now that’s a steal.
Looking for deals on the Volkswagen ID.4 near you? You can use our link to find and view offers on the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in your area (via a trusted affiliate link)
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