Lucid Motors is ready to produce its Gravity SUV, but it’s being sued for the name
The manufacturer aims to produce 9,000 cars in 2024
Lucid Motors might lose the trademark for its Gravity SUV name shortly before production begins. As Gravity Inc., a Google Ventures-backed EV charging firm, filed a request in December with the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) to cancel Lucid’s trademark. Gravity Inc. argues that Lucid’s use of the Gravity name could confuse consumers, as Gravity Inc. uses it for EV charging and has previously used it for an EV taxi fleet.
Lucid faces this challenge as it works to attract customers, adding more pressure on the success of the Gravity SUV set to launch later this year. The company suffered a $2.8 billion loss in 2023 and, to save the situation, now expects to produce only about 9,000 cars in 2024, a significant drop from previous projections.
Lucid has contested the petition but cautioned investors in its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that oppositions and challenges like these can be costly and may impact their ability to uphold the goodwill associated with a trademark. A Lucid spokesperson refused to provide further comment apart from what was mentioned in the filings with the TTAB. Moshe Cohen, CEO of Gravity Inc., expressed confidence in the petition during an interview.
Over the past few years, Gravity Inc. has been focused on creating and constructing high-tech fast-charging stations for electric cars. Last week, it opened its first main site in New York City. Additionally, it started running a fleet of electric taxis in the city toward the end of 2021 as part of a pilot program with the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), utilizing a Mustang Mach-E and a Tesla Model Y SUV. The startup obtained its trademark for the word “Gravity” in 2017.
It covers transportation services like hired car transport, passenger transport, taxi, and limousine transport, as well as computer software and downloadable mobile applications for coordinating transportation services, including automated scheduling and dispatching of vehicles.
