This Lucid Electric Coupe Concept Is The Telsa Roadster Rival The EV World Needs

EV manufacturer Lucid has collaborated with students from the Academy of Art University School of Industrial Design to produce what is one of the most exciting concept vehicles we've seen in a while. The futuristic coupe looks like a four-wheeled version of something from the movie "TRON," with translucent bodywork, sleek lines, and what appears to be a holographic dash. There's even a pet door you can pop open should your fluffy companion want to come along for the ride.

It is worth noting that Lucid itself didn't design this concept; the manufacturer is overseeing a competition entered by some of the university's design students. The contest will take place over 90 days and include several visits from Lucid's expert design team, who will give feedback to the entrants. The concept is the work of Jaichen (Justin) Xu, and hopefully, the collaboration will produce many more models like it.

Academy of Art University

As for whether we'll see any of this on the road, Lucid's line is pretty optimistic. Derek Jenkins, Lucid's SVP of Design and Brand, says: "This collaboration is a testament to our commitment to harnessing this energy and creativity. By challenging students to reimagine the future of mobility, we can unlock exciting new ideas in vehicle design, functionality, and sustainability, ensuring that we continue to lead in the creation of cutting-edge, luxury electric vehicles." But given the fact that most truly exciting concept cars never make it into production anyway, pessimism is acceptable. However, it should, as this exciting new concept is exactly what the EV market needs.

According to pretty much every major manufacturer, most of the developed world's governments, and a good chunk of the motoring press pool, electric vehicles are the future. As a result, most automakers have set about replacing their compacts, sedans, and SUVs with an electric equivalent. Many of these EVs come with the kind of performance that would make a supercar look sluggish a couple of decades ago — but we all need more than that. Even Lucid's flagship, the Lucid Air Sapphire, falls into this trap. Underneath it all, you get a class-leading performance. It makes many a supercar look clumsy and sluggish. You get a luxury interior, and from the outside, it looks incredibly sleek. But it's still a sedan.

Academy of Art University

The EV platform gives manufacturers a chance to tear up the whole rulebook and make something truly unique. Lucid should be looking at this concept, or something similar to it, as an opportunity to break the mold and make everyone else look a bit boring. EVs are most likely the future, but you need some futuristic looking vehicles to back all of that up. So give us the Tesla Roadster, a four-wheeled version of the "TRON" bike, that new DeLorean, and the concept Lancia came out with recently.