Lucid Air, Saudi-backed Tesla rival's first car revealed

Lucid Motors, an upstart EV brand backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund has revealed its first production electric vehicle, the Lucid Air. The brand, headquartered in Silicon Valley much like Elon Musk’s pioneering brand, seeks to challenge Tesla’s line-up of luxury EVs with the new Air saloon.

Lucid had already announced that the Air saloon will be the fastest charging electric vehicle ever 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 boasts the world’s longest EV range.

The Lucid Air employs an approach to automotive packaging that the brand terms the Lucid Space Concept. This approach miniaturises Lucid’s in-house developed EV drivetrain to optimize interior cabin space. The concept is central to the architecture of the Lucid Electric Advanced Platform (LEAP) upon which the saloon, as well as forthcoming Lucid vehicles, will be built.

This packaging helps the Lucid Air offer a full-size luxury-class interior while maintaining dynamic, sport saloon footprint. The cabin features “free form” displays, with a 34-inch curved Glass Cockpit 5K display that “floats” above the dashboard contributing to the airiness of the interior.

“Lucid Motors is driven to make the electric car better, and by doing so, help move the entire industry forward, towards accelerated adoption of sustainable mobility. The goal of this relentless approach to developing the world’s most advanced electric vehicle is to benefit all mankind with sustainable, zero emission transportation, and to also attract new customers to the world of EVs,” says Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. “With the Lucid Air, we have created a halo car for the entire industry, one which shows the advancements that are possible by pushing the boundaries of EV technology and performance to new levels.”

With up to 1,080 horsepower available in a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive architecture, the Lucid Air is able to achieve quarter-mile times as quick as 9.9 seconds on a consistent, repeatable basis. Lucid claims it is the only electric saloon able to achieve a quarter-mile time under 10 seconds. Lucid Motors says it has drawn upon 10 years of experience and over 20 million miles of real-world testing in creating its in-house developed, compact 113kWh extended-range battery pack.

The Lucid Air will be available initially in North America, offered in four model ranges, with prices starting at $80,000, but going up to $169,000 for the top spec variant. Reservations are open now for customers across the US and Canada, as well as in select countries in Europe and the Middle East. The Lucid Air can be reserved with a $1,000 refundable deposit, while the limited production Dream Edition will require a refundable deposit of $7500. Deliveries of the Lucid Air to North American customers will commence in spring of 2021, while European and Middle East market delivery dates, pricing, and sales and service centre details will be announced at a later date.