The 1,200 HP Lucid Air EV Takes Aim At Tesla | Forbes

  • 3 months ago
For most electric cars on the road, a range of 300 miles or so, about the range of a tank of gas, is the goal. And anything over 300 hp is considered powerful. Even at that lowest starting price point, which purposefully undercuts the Tesla Model S, the Lucid Air’s entry-level Pure model outdoes the average range by more than 25%,with a range of 419 miles. And with 430 hp, its more powerful than most sedans and right in line with the base version of the BMW i7, which turns out 449 hp and a 321 mile range at a starting price of $105,700, a $36,000 difference.

The Lucid Air Touring edition takes power up to 620 hp but suffers a reduced range of 365 miles, due in part to the added power and in part to the dual motor AWD powertrain. The Touring edition starts at $80,025, though a less expensive model with a 411 mile range thanks to 19” wheels is available for $77,900.

The next trim up is the Grand Touring model, which delivers on both power, with 819 hp, and range, with 516 miles. It also comes in a dual motor AWD configuration but is also a significant uptick in price, at $107,725.

Buyers who want the top of the line could buy the Grand Touring Performance edition that delivered 1,050 hp and 446 miles of range in a dual motor AWD configuration and priced from from $161,500, but it ceased production with the 2023 model year; for 2024 buyers can order the exclusive Sapphire edition which features a 3-motor AWD powertrain that generates 1,234 HP and goes 427 miles at a price of $249,000. And of course, it comes in Sapphire blue metallic paint.

Read more on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottyreiss/2024/06/24/think-the-lucid-air-is-just-any-ev-dont-let-it-smooth-look-fool-you/

For more from Scotty Reiss:
https://agirlsguidetocars.com/

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Transcript
00:00This is the Lucid Air.
00:07Lucid is an electric car company that came into the market not all that long ago and
00:12has really changed the game.
00:14The Lucid Air is a luxury sedan, and it comes in a number of trims.
00:17There is the Lucid Air Pure, the Touring, the Grand Touring, and the Sapphire, which
00:22produces 1,200 horsepower and is priced at $250,000.
00:27Lucid really gained traction when Peter Rawlinson, the CEO and Chief Technical Officer, joined
00:33from Tesla, where he had designed the Model S.
00:36From there, he helped to develop the Lucid Air, as well as batteries that are used by
00:42Formula E, which is the all-electric racing arm of Formula One.
00:46Lucid is known for producing sedans that have among the longest ranges of electric cars,
00:51but also deliver a lot of horsepower.
00:54The model that we're driving, the Grand Touring, has a 400-mile range and produces 620 horsepower,
01:00but if you move up to the Grand Touring, that has a 519-mile range and 800 horsepower.
01:06One of the things that's very iconic about Lucid is it is designed and built in the United
01:11States.
01:12They're headquartered in San Francisco, and that is where their cars are all designed,
01:16and then they're built in Arizona.
01:19Because they are California designed and owned, the icon or sort of the mascot of the
01:24Lucid is the California Grizzly, and you can find these Easter eggs throughout the interior
01:29and exterior of the Lucid Air.
01:31Lucid's design approach is really unique.
01:34They think about everything from the ground up.
01:36Chief of Design Derek Jenkins, who came from Mazda, brought a really fresh perspective
01:41to how they approach their interiors.
01:44The wide battery pack underneath the chassis of the Lucid Air creates a really large, spacious cabin.
01:50In fact, the rear seat feels more like a luxury car or a car that might be chauffeur-driven
01:57than one that you might want to drive yourself.
01:59But slide behind the wheel, and you'll definitely want to be in charge.
02:03Everything there is really fresh and unique.
02:06The interior of the Lucid Air is notable for this screen here.
02:10It's a curved single piece of glass, and almost all the function inside the car is here, or
02:16on this other panel here that's called the pilot panel.
02:21The cool thing about this is you can actually move functions between this screen and that screen.
02:28If you decide you don't want to see this screen, or you'd like to access the secret compartment
02:33behind it, all you do is that to get it out of the way.
02:39Now we have this really nice, large compartment back here.
02:42To get it back, just tap there.
02:46On the steering wheel, we have basic controls here, and some toggle controls here on either side.
02:51And we have stocks for windshield wipers and for our gear selector.
02:57Really elegant and easy to use.
02:59One of the iconic things about the Lucid Air is its glass canopy roof.
03:04It's a glass panel that extends from the hood all the way up to the center of the roof line
03:10where there's a structure pillar, and then more glass beyond that to the back window.
03:16Lucid's drive modes are smooth, swift, and sprint, which is maximum power and torque.
03:25And you actually have to click confirm to be able to use that.
03:29With all that power under the hood, Lucid rethought how drive modes work so you can
03:35front load all of that horsepower, all of that torque, all at once just by flooring the accelerator.
03:42The exterior of the Lucid Air is really unique.
03:44It has a really beautiful, elegant, streamlined look to it.
03:49There's a really unique light signature that lights up when you approach the car with your
03:53key fob and sort of gives you a little winky goodbye when you walk away.
03:58By the end of this year, we're going to see the very first three-row SUV from Lucid.
04:03It's also been completely rethought from the ground up for function for families or people
04:09who just really need a large SUV, but still a 400 to 500 mile range on the battery and
04:15a lot of horsepower underfoot.

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