Lucid so far has avoided virus-related pitfalls other electric-vehicle startups have suffered. China’s Byton has furloughed half its California staff and delayed the start of vehicle production in China. Rivian Automotive, backed by Amazon and Ford Motor, also has delayed the start of production for its all-electric pickup and SUV.
Lucid says it has actually accelerated hiring, adding 120 new employees since mid-March, and is currently advertising 250 open positions. The company has not furloughed any of its employees or cut pay or hours, and it’s actively recruiting from competitors, Rawlinson said.
Lucid broke ground on the Casa Grande site in early December 2019, so construction could end up being completed within a year. Still, the company’s ramp-up will be slow. Hochholdinger said there will be 700 people working on production when the company's first car launches, a fraction of the more than 10,000 that Tesla employs at its factory in California.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.