Saudi-backed Lucid Air is the world's fastest-charging electric vehicle

Lucid Motors, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund-backed challenger to Tesla’s line-up of luxury EVs, has announced that its upcoming Lucid Air all-electric saloon will be the fastest charging electric vehicle ever offered with the capability to charge at rates of up to 20 miles (32 km) per minute. In real-world conditions, this translates to 300 miles (483 km) of range in just 20 minutes of charging. It also has a range of 517 miles (832 kilometres) on a single full charge. This means the Air, set for a global launch on September 9th, now boasts the world’s longest EV range.

This level of fast charging is possible through a 900V+ electrical architecture, custom lithium-ion battery cells, a highly sophisticated battery and thermal management system. Lucid’s “Wunderbox” onboard charging unit gives it full interoperability with public charging infrastructure, including the ever-growing, 350kW fast-charging infrastructure being built by countries.

Meanwhile, the car’s electric range was independently verified by FEV North America, applying the EPA's Multicycle Test Procedure. The results confirm that the Lucid Air is the longest range electric vehicle to date. FEV’s verification process closely follows the official EPA standard testing procedure and has been followed for several leading vehicle manufacturers, according to a release from Lucid Motors. Lucid has apparently conducted thousands of miles of real-world range testing before the range was validated by FEV.

“I’m delighted that the Lucid Air has been independently verified by FEV to achieve an estimated EPA range of 517 miles (832 kilometers), and that this landmark in the history of EV development has been achieved entirely through Lucid’s in-house technology,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors. “I believe that our 900-volt architecture, our race proven battery packs, miniaturized motors and power electronics, integrated transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis and thermal systems, software, and overall system efficiency has now reached a stage where it collectively sets a new standard and delivers a host of ‘world’s firsts,” he added.

Lucid says it uses proprietary technology starting with the in-house development of the Air’s drivetrain, with miniaturised and integrated motors, transmission and inverter, as well as a 900+ volt architecture.

Lucid has over 10 years of experience and over 20 million miles of real-world testing when it comes to battery technology. The company’s technology division, Atieva, supplies battery packs for the entire field of the Formula E racing series since 2018 and continuing through 2022.

The production version of the Lucid Air will debut in an online reveal on September 9, 2020. The electric vehicle’s final interior and exterior designs, as well as new details about production specifications and available configurations will be revealed on that day.