Why do two-seater robotaxis make more sense than you think?

when Tesla will unveil the Cybercab in 2024Many people were puzzled by the automaker’s decision to make it a two-seater. I had similar thoughts when I first saw it at the Los Angeles Auto Show later that year: What kind of taxi has only two seats? Once you reach the top A Tok tokThis is a stupid idea that no one would ever want.

For 18 months, this seems to be the prevailing attitude. On Reddit and other social media platforms, users have expressed their opinion on the usefulness or otherwise of a two-seater robotaxi. “You can link a few people to the rooftop to get a special discount.” one commenter quipped. However, it was the first Tesla Cybercab It went into production last monthAnd now Prototypes were monitored for testing Whether on public roads or on the grounds of the Tesla assembly plant in Austin, Texas.

But in case you thought the Cybercab would be alone in absorbing all the anti-wheelchair vitriol, there are now two such cars.

At Lucid Motors’ investor day in New York City this month, its executive team laid out the electric vehicle manufacturer’s plan to reach profitability. It includes three New models on a mid-sized platform are less expensive – The first version will arrive next year – an all-new electric powertrain, with a continued focus on semi-autonomous driving functions and robotaxi partnerships.

Then, in a “just one more thing” moment, Lucid’s acting CEO, Mark Winterhoff, unveiled a concept car hidden behind a curtain at one end of the hall. The two-seater robotaxi, called Lucid Lunar, was shown without doors to show off its interior space and large luggage space. Visions of a Tesla Cybercab flashed through my mind, different but similar.

In a “fireside chat” with Uber’s Andrew MacDonald, Winterhoff revealed the ride-sharing company’s pledge to buy 20,000 Gravitys vehicles equipped with Nuro robotaxi sensors and software. The two companies are planning a similar deal with the upcoming Lucid EV midsize model as well.

It took a few hours with Lucid Motors executives for me to understand why, in fact, I was wrong about the two-seat robo-taxi. And why transportation services around the world may Buy giant fleets of them. Assuming, of course, that robo-taxis prove to be safe and reliable, not a major contributor to urban congestion, and significantly cheaper for mass transit fleets than today’s human drivers who use a wide range of electric vehicles and internal combustion models.

At the very least, deploying a two-seat robo-taxi would require an extra step during the hailing process: each user would have to specify how many people were traveling, to ensure the vehicle arrived with enough seats. Users are likely to accept this additional friction in the process, especially if the two-seater car is cheaper than other alternatives.

The Lucid Lunar concept uses the same wide horizontal display on the dashboard as the Lucid Cosmos, but no steering wheel. It will be built on a shortened version of the mid-sized platform that will support Cosmos and its siblings, bringing significant savings on infrastructure costs. The Moon is lower than the Earth and smaller than the Universe, and – “Aha!” Moment – It is designed to be as energy efficient and cost effective as possible for buyers.

Smaller, lighter and cheaper!

In their fireside chat, Winterhoff and McDonald pointed out that more than 90 percent of Uber’s rides today involve just one or two passengers. Other studies indicate that the percentage is slightly lower, although it is still a strong majority. Lucid chief engineer Zach Walker later explained that the car’s logic is that the needs of fleet operators differ greatly from the needs of individual drivers.

Physics dictates that a two-seat electric car should be smaller and lighter than a car with more seats. This will make them cheaper to buy and operate, primarily because they can provide the necessary range from a lower capacity battery – which will cost less and recharge faster for the same added range. Ridehail companies will need robotaxis at the lowest possible cost, to make the expensive technology practical compared to human-driven vehicles.

According to chief engineer Walker, each 1-kilowatt-hour reduction in battery size will save the robot operator $1,000 per year in recharging costs, assuming it covers 100,000 miles per year. How efficient is a two-seat robo-taxi versus a four-seat compact electric car? Lucid expects efficiency of up to 5.5 miles per kilowatt-hour, and possibly as much as 6 miles per kilowatt-hour, in typical use, Walker said. (For comparison, the most energy-efficient electric vehicle sold in the United States today is the rear-wheel-drive Lucid Air Pure, with an EPA efficiency rating of 146 mpg, which translates to 4.4 mpg/kWh.)

Moreover, he added, there is a “virtuous circle” of not only reducing size and weight, but also engineering to achieve the goal. Walker noted that Lucids sold to individual buyers should have excellent road holding and handling capabilities; It’s part of the brand. But the pre-determined behavior of the robotaxi driving algorithm, and the limits of the performance it requires, are known in advance, and it will not impose severe handling burdens as a few private owners might. This means that suspension structures can be tuned for comfort, with softer and less complex bushings. It could allow Lucid to reduce or eliminate some of the reinforcements and braces required to maintain chassis rigidity during extreme handling maneuvers, Walker said.

Both the Tesla and Lucid two-seat cars are low and sleek, reducing aerodynamic drag. This enhances efficiency further at speeds of 30 mph and above, when the energy required to overcome wind resistance exceeds the energy required to move the vehicle itself. This is an advantage for airport trips that require highway travel, and less of an advantage for trips based mostly in urban environments, says Riley Brennan of Trucks VC. Notes in his weekly letter.

Brennan wondered why the robo-taxi’s form factor mimics that of a two-door coupe, despite its restrictions on ingress and egress. He suggested as an alternative a famous study by the designer Giorgetto Giugiaro for Modern New York City taxicompletely created 50 years ago. It’s still crisp, modern and upright – and easier to get in and out of than a coupe.

But the Giugiaro’s long, square and straight design will present a challenge to wind resistance. However, Brennan is convinced that this is the right approach. “Most of the trips for these flights will be low-speed and urban, which will make Cd (drag coefficient) issues largely moot,” he said in an email.

After seeing the Lucid Lunar, every reporter at Lucid Investor Day had the same second thought I had 18 months ago, when I saw the Tesla Cybercab: If you just added a steering wheel, it would make a great fast little sports coupe.

When asked directly about this possibility, Walker laughed. “Oh, I have a lot of ideas in my free time,” he said. “But this (lunar robotaxi) is the one we’re talking about today.”