Aerodynamics has obviously been an important aspect to consider when designing a vehicle ever since the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line. The aerodynamics of a car not only has an impact on the performance of a car, but also its efficiency. With range numbers being the name of the game for electric cars, efficiency is a high priority for any automaker wishing to create an electric car. As such, the boundaries for how ‘slippery’ our car can be are constantly being pushed as we try to squeeze out as much energy as possible from batteries. Today Lucid Motors has claimed to have pushed that boundary for aerodynamics to a new low.
Lucid Motors upcoming Air luxury electric car has a lot of things going for it and is looking to be a legitimate competitor to the Tesla Model S and any other electric cars coming from luxury brands.
The Air is set to have a range of more than 400 miles, looking to be the first EV to break the mark before Tesla’s recent update of the Model S that saw it have a range of 402 miles. Regardless if they were the first to get to 400 miles or not is irrelevant as it’s so far above the competition that its a great achievement in itself. To achieve a range of that not only requires leading batteries and motors, but also top-notch aerodynamics.
Lucid recently revealed that testing of their aerodynamic has shown that they have achieved a coefficient of drag (Cd) of just 0.21, which according to Lucid, makes the Air the “world’s more aero-efficient luxury car”. For comparison, the Cd for the Tesla Model S is 0.24, a great number, but outdone by their former VP of Engineering, Peter Rawlinson and the Lucid aero team which includes four Formula One World Championships under their belt.
Rawlinson commented:
“Aerodynamic efficiency plays a key role in achieving world-beating range and performance, and is particularly valuable to an EV in that it provides “smart range” independent of battery pack size. So naturally we intensively focused upon aerodynamics throughout the Lucid Air’s development. Our aero team worked seamlessly with design and engineering counterparts, establishing aero efficiency as a core tenet of Lucid Air from its very inception, enabling us to achieve this new standard.”
Looking into vehicles with lower even lower drag and you’ll see that the conventional shape of the car has to change to tear-drop shapes, such as those found in the Eco-Runner series of efficiency endurance cars. It looks like we are at the point where it takes an overwhelming amount of effort to just shave off 0.01 Cd while still looking like a regular car. With battery efficiency looking to be a top priority of many automakers in the future, it will be interesting to see how far the industry can push aerodynamics technology.
The production version of the Lucid Air will be revealed online on September 9th and will include “the vehicle’s final interior and exterior designs, new details about production specifications, available configurations, and pricing information”.
What do you guys think of the achievement? Let us know down in the comments below.
