The Lucid Air and Gravity are, in my opinion, the best EVs on the market right now. They're probably better than the Model S and X—and I suspect Tesla knew it when they decided to discontinue those models. But who wants to buy a car bankrolled by the Saudi wealth fund?
Let's be clear about what Lucid has accomplished. The Air and Gravity are exceptional vehicles. The engineering is world-class. The efficiency is best-in-category. The range exceeds competitors. The interior quality rivals luxury sedans costing twice as much.
These aren't subjective opinions. The numbers back it up. Lucid's engineering team—many poached from Tesla's early days—built what might be the most technically accomplished production EV in existence.
I suspect Tesla looked at what Lucid was building and made a strategic decision. The Model S and X were aging platforms. They were expensive to produce, sold in relatively low volumes, and faced competition from a technically superior product.
Rather than invest billions updating those platforms to compete with Lucid in the luxury EV segment, Tesla chose to exit. They're focusing on the Model 3, Y, and upcoming lower-cost vehicles where they have economies of scale and market dominance.
That's not an admission that Lucid is better—it's just smart business. Why fight a war in a small, expensive segment when you're winning in the mass market?
Here's where the story gets uncomfortable. Lucid Motors is majority-funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). The Saudi government owns approximately 60% of the company through this sovereign wealth fund.
~60%
Owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund
Total Saudi investment: Over $5 billion
Saudi Arabia's role: Majority stakeholder and primary financial backer
Saudi Arabia built its wealth on oil. For decades, they've funded climate denial, lobbied against renewable energy, and profited from the very fossil fuel industry that electric vehicles are supposed to disrupt.
You're buying an electric vehicle—ostensibly to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and lower your carbon footprint—with money flowing to a government that built its entire economy on oil extraction and has actively worked to delay the energy transition.
Every Lucid purchase sends revenue to the Saudi Public Investment Fund. That fund invests in oil infrastructure, petrochemical facilities, and everything else that keeps Saudi Arabia's petroleum-based economy running.
These aren't abstract geopolitical concerns. They're well-documented human rights violations. When you buy a Lucid, you're indirectly funding the government responsible for them.
A lot of people buy EVs for environmental reasons. Some buy for the technology. Some just like the performance and convenience. But many buyers also care about the broader impact of their purchasing decisions.
If you're the type of person who checks where products are made, who avoids companies with poor labor practices, who cares about the ethics of your consumption—how do you reconcile buying a car from a Saudi-owned company?
The uncomfortable truth: You can't separate Lucid's technical achievement from its funding source. The engineering excellence exists because Saudi Arabia wrote multi-billion dollar checks. Those checks came from oil money and continue funding a regime with a horrific human rights record.
Some would argue that buying a Lucid is actually a good thing. You're taking Saudi oil money and converting it into electric vehicle technology. You're supporting American jobs (Lucid manufactures in Arizona). You're accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels by supporting the best EV technology available.
There's logic to that. If Saudi Arabia is going to diversify away from oil, better they invest in EVs than more petroleum infrastructure. Supporting Lucid might encourage more of that investment.
But that argument requires ignoring where the money came from and what else it funds. The Saudi Public Investment Fund doesn't just invest in Lucid. It's a massive portfolio that includes oil, gas, petrochemicals, and everything else that maintains Saudi Arabia's fossil fuel economy.
Tesla, for all its controversies, was funded by venture capital, public markets, and eventually its own revenue. Elon Musk's wealth came from PayPal and tech investments—not oil extraction. The company's success doesn't enrich a government with a human rights record like Saudi Arabia's.
That doesn't make Tesla morally pure. But there's a difference between a company with problematic leadership and a company majority-owned by a government that beheads dissidents and funds the war in Yemen.
I can't tell anyone what car to buy. If technical excellence is your only criterion, Lucid wins. The Air and Gravity are phenomenal vehicles. The engineering is best-in-class. The driving experience is exceptional.
But I can't separate the product from its funding. I don't want my car purchase sending money to the Saudi Public Investment Fund. I don't want to support a government with that human rights record, no matter how impressive the vehicle is.
For me, that's a deal-breaker. Others will weigh it differently. Some won't care at all. Some will rationalize it as supporting American manufacturing or accelerating EV adoption. Those are valid perspectives.
Lucid's Saudi funding highlights a broader issue: who's bankrolling the EV transition, and does it matter?
If fossil fuel nations are diversifying into EVs with their oil wealth, is that a win for the climate or just a way for them to maintain economic power in a post-petroleum world? If human rights abusers are funding clean technology, do we take the technology and ignore the source?
These aren't easy questions. But they're worth asking before you hand over $80,000+ for a vehicle, no matter how good the engineering is.
Lucid makes the best EVs you can buy. I'd rather steer clear.
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