Lucid's CEO Gets Candid About The EV Mistake Automakers Won't Talk About

"For a long time, the main reason to buy an electric vehicle was to help the planetor at least to stop paying for gasoline. The earliest modern EVs were marketed as earth-friendly alternatives to gas cars, even if that meant significant tradeoffs in practicality, long-distance driving and even highway speeds. That all really started to change with the advent of the Tesla Model S, which ditched the appliance vibes to run with the likes of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz."

"Perhaps automakers lost that memo somewhere along the line. Speaking at CES 2026 this past week, the interim CEO of another electric car company, Marc Winterhoff of Lucid Motors, lamented the fact that perhaps the auto industry as a whole hasn't found the right messaging to sell EVs. "I think everybody that you ask in that space would say the EV is the better platform for [autonomous vehicles]," Winterhoff said in an interview about the company's new driverless taxi venture with Nuro and Uber."

""I want to go a little bit further than that. The EV is not only the better platform for robotaxis, it's the better car." Photo by: Patrick George Winterhoff, who took the CEO reins from Lucid founder Peter Rawlinson last year, jokingly admitted that he "has" to say that. His company is all-electric, after all, and another executive might give an answer about "consumer choice" instead."

Electric vehicles were originally sold primarily on environmental and fuel-cost arguments, often accepting tradeoffs in practicality and long-distance driving. The Tesla Model S shifted perception by emphasizing performance and luxury, showing EVs can compete with high-end gas cars. Lucid Motors interim CEO Marc Winterhoff says the industry has not found the right messaging and that EVs are not only superior platforms for autonomous vehicles but are simply better cars. Lucid is pursuing driverless taxi partnerships while Winterhoff suggests automakers should highlight EV strengths like performance and interior space as U.S. sales slow.

Read at insideevs.com