Lucid has revealed the battery cell supplier for its upcoming Lucid Air electric sedan: LG Chem. 

According to an announcement made Monday, the upstart electric carmaker, LG Chem cells will be “exclusively powering standard versions of this luxury EV through 2023.”

Lucid noted in an accompanying release of “additional agreements to be announced in the future for special versions of the EV”—a statement suggesting other suppliers might potentially be used at some stage. 

The choice of LG Chem is a vote of confidence from Lucid, which is more than a startup EV maker. Under Lucid’s Atieva group, it supplies battery packs for Formula E racing, and maintains a deep knowledge base of available cells types and chemistries. 

According to the carmaker, “they provide the ideal level of efficiency for standard versions of the Lucid Air.”

The cells, in a 110-kw pack, are expected to offer what Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson has distinguished as not just a rated range of more than 400 miles, but a real-world highway range capable of topping 400 miles. A base version of the Air with a smaller pack is expected to start at $60,000.

Lucid Air

Lucid previously confirmed that it will be using 2170-format cylindrical cells in the Air—the same size format as those used in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. 

The company says that it’s leveraged the cell size “to develop the most compact, yet energy dense battery pack form possible.” In an interview with Green Car Reports, CEO Peter Rawlinson had suggested that the battery pack won’t be simply a box. “It can be shaped and sculpted to optimize...the ergonomics for the people,” he said.

Lucid is currently making 80 beta prototypes that will be used for testing, validation, and crash-testing, and it plans to start production in Casa Grande, Arizona, by the end of the year. Look for more details on the whole car at the New York Auto Show in April.