In Newark, California, just a short drive from Tesla's Fremont vehicle assembly plant, one of the company's former engineering all-stars is leading rival EV manufacturer Lucid Motors as it attempts the near-impossible: carving a niche for itself in a segment dominated by his former employer. Lucid's first car planned for series production, the Lucid Air, still has yet to materialize, but the company's CEO/CTO, Peter Rawlinson, was more than happy to share some details with MotorTrend in a recent interview.

Rawlinson's biggest, boldest, most attention-grabbing bit of info: the Lucid Air could eventually be offered with as much as 1,800 horsepower through a three-motor setup similar to the ones planned for the Tesla Cybertruck and GMC Hummer EV.

