Many people have felt disappointed at the non-Tesla electric cars that have been released/announced in the past few years and their ranges. While 200-250 miles should be more than enough for most people’s daily drives, just the thought that the Model S now has over 400 miles of range is enough for people to chase higher numbers. Well those people can now chase an even higher number as Lucid announced their Air electric car would smash all other electric car ranges with their EPA estimated 517 miles of range.
That’s right, for maybe the first time since the release of the Model S about eight years ago, Tesla might no longer hold the crown for having the production car with the longest range.
Lucid Motors is part of the recent batch of completely new electric car brands that popped up on our radars a few years ago with the promise of a luxury sedan with over 400 miles of range and a 0-60 time of 2.5 secs., the perfect Tesla Model S competitor. And Lucid would probably be the most capable of creating a Model S competitor as the CEO and CTO of the company is Peter Rawlinson, former VP of Engineering at Tesla and Chief Engineer on the Model S.
The range figure was independently verified by FEV North America which follows the EPA guidelines closely to provide range verifications and has worked with other large automotive brands in the past.
Rawlinson said of the achievement:
“I’m delighted that the Lucid Air has been independently verified by FEV to achieve an estimated EPA range of 517 miles, and that this landmark in the history of EV development has been achieved entirely through Lucid’s in-house technology. 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.’”
For those that may be unaware, Lucid also provides batteries for the race cars in the Formula E series, the most premier electric car racing series. These types of racing series tend to be testbeds for upcoming technologies that haven’t made it to road cars yet, anything from improved tire compounds to current aerodynamics understandings can probably be traced back to things like Formula 1. It comes as no surprise then that Lucid was able to leverage their knowledge gained from pushing the envelope in Formula E and incorporating it into their road car.
Rawlinson added,
“Range and efficiency are widely recognized as the most relevant proof points by which EV technical prowess is measured. A few years ago we revealed our alpha prototypes of the Lucid Air and promised over 400 miles range; a reflection of our technology at that time. In the intervening period we have achieved a series of technological breakthroughs, culminating in an unsurpassed degree of energy efficiency. I am therefore pleased that we have consequently achieved an estimated EPA 517 miles of range today whilst also significantly reducing our battery pack’s capacity, thereby reducing vehicle weight and cost, and improving interior space. Such exceptional efficiency, achieved through in-house technology, is undeniably a measure of a true EV tech company,”
Surprisingly they did not only go far past their initial 400-mile goal, which was already seen as ambitious, but they were able to bring down the capacities of the batteries they were using.
500 miles is an insane feat and also makes every other automaker look a tad silly when it comes to their ranges. We have now reached the 500-mile mark in range before a single legacy automaker could bring out a car that even goes past 300 miles (I know that cars such as the Mach-E, Ariya, and ID.3 have been announced with 300 or more miles in range, but they have yet to release).
The question is now if Lucid will be able to keep the top spot by the time the Air goes into production in early 2021. Many of us have been waiting for Tesla to have their Battery Day which should show some new improvements to the technology and might result in a huge gain in range to the future models.
No price has been given, which is now what everyone wants to know. We know that Lucid wanted to target a $60,000 price range for their lower-end model, but the 500-mile beast will most certainly not be that cheap. Here’s hoping that it won’t cost a ridiculous some, 500 miles of range is great but if the car comes out to a quarter-million dollars, then I’m sure many will be happy with going with their Model S.
Although, now we wonder how much range will their low-end model have. 300? 350? 400? We still have to wait a month for September 9th before we hopefully get that answer.
With this long range, good looks, and seemingly competitive autonomous driving suite, the Lucid Air might actually be the first ‘Tesla Killer’.
What do you guys think of the Lucid Air? What do you think the price will be? What do you think their low-end model will have? Let us know down in the comments below.
