Lucid Group, Inc.
Founders
Bernard Tse, Sheaupyng Lin · Founded 2007 · HQ today: Newark, California, United States
Lucid was founded by Bernard Tse, Sheaupyng Lin in 2007. It is now led by Silvio Napoli.
Lucid started in 2007 as Atieva, a battery and electric powertrain supplier. In 2013 it hired Peter Rawlinson, previously chief engineer of the Tesla Model S, and the company shifted toward building its own luxury EV. It took the Lucid Motors name in 2016, secured more than $1B from Saudi Arabia's PIF in 2018, and began Lucid Air deliveries in 2021 after listing through a merger with Churchill Capital Corp IV.
Before Atieva, Tse was an executive and early board member at Tesla Motors.
Bernard Tse co-founded Atieva, the company that became Lucid, in 2007 and served as its first CEO. Atieva initially developed battery packs and electric powertrains for other vehicle makers before shifting to its own cars. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Battery technology expert.
Sheaupyng Lin co-founded Atieva (which later became Lucid Motors) in 2007. As a deep expert in battery chemistry, he originally founded the company explicitly to build highly advanced battery packs and powertrains for other automakers, successfully supplying the entire Formula E racing circuit before the company pivoted to building its own luxury cars. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Silvio Napoli
Chief Executive Officer
As a highly influential Board Member, he advises the executive team on massive, global supply chain logistics and premium brand positioning.
Peter Rawlinson
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer
Led development of the Lucid Air and Gravity and set the efficiency-first engineering culture. Stepped down as CEO in February 2025.
Lucid was originally founded in December 2007 under the name Atieva, Inc. by Bernard Tse, Sam Weng, and Sheaupyng Lin in Silicon Valley, initially focusing on developing advanced battery packs and electric powertrains for commercial vehicle manufacturers.
Sam Weng was a co-founder of Atieva/Lucid, bringing extensive Silicon Valley technology executive experience from software and semiconductor firms, serving as Vice President of Business Development to secure early Asian venture capital funding.
In 2016, Atieva engineers built 'Edna', a customized Mercedes-Benz Metris delivery van equipped with an 87 kWh battery pack and twin electric motors producing 900 hp. Edna famously beat a Ferrari California and Tesla Model S in quarter-mile drag races, proving the viability of Lucid's powertrain.
In October 2016, the company officially rebranded from Atieva to Lucid Motors, publicly announcing its intention to develop a premium high-performance all-electric luxury sedan (then codenamed 'Project Atvus', which became the Lucid Air).
Under its Atieva technology division, Lucid was selected as the exclusive battery pack supplier for all teams in the FIA Formula E World Championship from 2018 to 2022 (Gen2 cars), engineering 54 kWh battery packs that allowed cars to complete an entire race without swapping vehicles.
Early venture investors included Venrock (the Rockefeller family venture fund), China's BAIC Motor, and Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting's LeEco, before Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) became the anchor strategic investor in 2018.
In late 2018, having paused vehicle development due to capital constraints, Lucid secured a historic $1 billion investment from Saudi Arabia's PIF. The capital funded the complete engineering of the Lucid Air, the construction of the Casa Grande factory, and executive hiring.
Lucid's original R&D laboratory and prototype workshop was located on Gateway Boulevard in Newark, California, which remains the company's global headquarters and technology campus today.
It was originally founded as Atieva by Bernard Tse and Sam Weng. Tse was a highly critical early board member at Tesla. Their massive early genius was completely ignoring car manufacturing to focus entirely on battery chemistry. This allowed them to develop highly advanced, incredibly energy-dense battery packs that easily survived the extreme, violent demands of professional Formula E racing, laying the foundation for the Lucid Air.
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