Electric vehicle start-up Lucid Motors has finally unveiled their first offering. It’s an all-electric sedan called the Air. The company claims the Lucid Air is more efficient, spacious, and faster than rival Tesla’s Model S.

A first look at the Air reveals that the car is estimated to achieve an EPA-rated range of 517 miles on a single battery charge. That exceeds Tesla’s industry-leading 402 miles, which you get with the long distance model of the Model S.

Charging Times and Energy Efficiency

The Lucid Air can allegedly drive a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds. Tesla’s fastest vehicle reportedly takes 10.4 seconds to drive the same distance. According to company claims, the Lucid Air can quick charge to drive 300 miles in just 20 minutes. Its highest charging rate is two miles per minute, says Lucid.

Lucid was founded in 2007 as Atieva. That name it now used for its engineering and tech arm, which supplies batteries to electric racing circuit Formula E. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson was the Model S Chief Engineer and Vice-President of Engineering at Tesla from 2009 to 2012. He claims the high-end version of the Air is 17% more energy efficient than Tesla models, allowing for more range.

Pricing and Interior

Pricing for the Air will range from about $80,000 for a base model to $169,000 for a top line Dream Edition. There are also some mid-range Touring and Grand Touring models too. They start at $95,000 and $139,000, respectively. As you’d expect, the more expensive models have more power and longer ranges — along with some other upgrades.

The Touring edition is rated for up to 620 horsepower and a 406 mile range. By contrast, the Grand Touring version kicks out 800 hp and a 517 mile range. The Dream Edition cranks it up to 1,080 hp, but drops a bit in range (503 miles, or 465 with the special 21″ Dream Edition wheels). Lucid plans to release the Air in black, white, or gold.

The higher priced models are expected to go on sale in the second quarter of 2021. The lower priced models will follow in the fourth quarter and early 2022. Lucid says a biggest differentiator for any version of the Air is the interior. The Air offers the space of a large sedan in a midsize car, according to company press releases.

The Air features a floating driver information screen behind the steering wheel. There’s also an angled control touchscreen in the lower center of the dash. The company says the Lucid Air’s “frunk” can fit as much cargo as four of its competitor’s sedans.

Can the Lucid Air steal some of Tesla’s thunder? With luxurious styling and promises of over-the-air updates for Level 3 autonomous driving, the Lucid Air means business.

2021 Lucid Air Sedan EV

Source: LucidMotors.com

Devon is a writer, editor, and veteran of the online publishing world. He has a particular love for classic muscle cars.