First driving test Lucid Air – this is how the electric limo drives with a range of 850 kilometers

Lucid: we’ve been hearing that name for years, what is it again?

Lucid is an American car manufacturer from California that wants to be at the top of the market
landfill with electric cars. And that has been true for more companies in recent years, but
Lucid seems to be a step ahead of the rest. Their Arizona plant now produces 30,000 cars a year
years and they are already working on an expansion to go up to 90,000. Already in America
thousands of copies of the Lucid Air, their first and only model, delivered
to customers.

One model is not much

No, you won’t make it with just a large sedan and so the brand will reveal early next year
a large SUV called Gravity. We’ve seen teasers before. This one shares its base
of the Air, and will have similar power and battery packs. Then we have it
about powers of 600 to at least 1,200 hp, because the brand works out quite a bit. The first
copies are limited as Dream Edition and have 1,123 hp. We drove the performance
which from now on is the top of the price list and which is not limited: the Grand Touring. This one has
830 hp and 1,200 Nm thanks to two electric motors. Good for a sprint from 3.0 to 100
km/h The Tour and the Pure will follow later, which will get 630 and 487 hp respectively.

Very quick? I’d rather just drive far

Even then Lucid is the right place for you. As we drove it, the car has 112 kWh of batteries. The
European figures will be announced very soon, but if we look at the American figures a bit
converting we arrive at roughly 850 kilometers of range and a consumption that is below 15
kWh/100 km. On paper, but also remarkably far and low. In addition, the car
fast charging with 350 kW, which is extremely much faster than the best of the established order.
As long as you can find good charging spots, you will get very far very quickly.

That’s subcutaneous. Is the Lucid Air itself a bit well put together?

Yes and no. It looks very good by American standards. Materials and finishing
at a much higher level than Tesla, but it is also nicer than Cadillac, for example.
Only Lucid itself shouts very loudly that it mainly has Mercedes in its sights, think of the
EQS and S class. And those back seats are a bit better than this Lucid Air. And
the use of materials doesn’t even come close. Then we call it a high standard
competitor of course, but Lucid itself does that too. It is spacious, but your feet are too high because of the batteries in the bottom, so it could be more comfortable. For the cheaper versions, there will later be the option to omit part of the battery for more foot space, just like the Porsche Taycan does.
In the front it is much nicer and warmer than in a Tesla Model S, with beautiful screens in front of you
nose and around the center console. The system works well and quickly and you can almost operate it
everything along. From climate control to seat heating and mirror adjustment. We also see
a few extra physical buttons, for example for the temperature. Top! There’s also plenty
place and the screen disappears as desired to make room. This is nicely done.

And how does that drive?

Fast, but that’s obvious. With the full 830 hp, it is reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan Turbo
S in speed and smoothness. You have to put the car in Sprint mode, otherwise you have
you ‘only’ 600 hp. A fourth individual mode will follow later: Lucid also fits existing models
continuously over the air. More important than the power gain is that damping and steering
adapt, so that the car in Sprint also drives much better than in Smooth and Swift.
Unless you really only drive highway, leave it in Sprint. The power steering feels
better and perhaps also due to the slightly tighter damping of the excellent Bilstein dampers
now we feel good what is happening. And then all of a sudden the Lucid Air shrinks around us and
we use the waves of torque to propel us forward. It is now a sports sedan
pure sang. The car drives fabulously well. Lucid has for electrical work, among other things
Tesla experts brought in, but Europeans with experience for driving
attracted from Jaguar-Land Rover, among others. And it is noticeable. The car is right, it’s in
balance and drives great in Sprint. The 830 horsepower is never too much or scary simply because you like it
power only if you really ask for it. Now it is not the case that the Lucid Air suddenly BMW and
Porsche wipes off the map when it comes to driving, but for a newcomer it is
all not that much worse than the top.

Where does that lead come from today?

Lucid is secretly more than just a car manufacturer, it also provides storage capacity and
powergrids and is a supplier to others. This is how the battery of the second generation came
Formula E cars from Lucid, and for the third generation cars just unveiled, the
compact electric motor on the front axle, which regenerates so hard that physical braking is less
badly needed. The powertrain advantage of the Air is special. Lucid’s e-motors are
more compact and lighter than those of Porsche, Audi and Tesla, but deliver more power.
Through the clever use of transformers, the car uses 900 volts that Mercedes and BMW use
sitting at 400 volts. This allows you to work with lower amperes and there is less power loss.
Not all secrets are revealed, but it’s in details like targeted copper coils
the stator and the placement of the magnets in the rotor. It led to, among other things
absolute top model the Lucid Sapphire. It has three electric motors that together produce 2,000 horsepower
to deliver. Now you never get that on the wheels at the same time because the battery can’t handle that, but
count on well over the 1,200 in peak power that you put on the road. Sapphire should be the AMG
of Lucid, and we will therefore also see that version on other models.

Lucid Air Sapphire, the terror of the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Nice, but that’s an expensive toy

Yes. Very expensive itself. The Dream Edition was 222,000 euros and count on it for the Grand Touring
nothing under 180,000 euros. The cars are packed: from leather to audio with more than
20 speakers and extensive ADAS systems: radar, lidar, cameras and ultrasonics. Everything is
on top. At home you can charge with 22 kW and you can even charge another car with 10 kW.
“Handy to help your friend with the Taycan with an almost empty battery if you have a
road trip,” jokes Lucid himself.”

And when is it the turn of the man with a smaller purse?

Lucid cites the reason for the expensive versions as having to raise capital first while the
production is still low. You do that with expensive cars. After that one can meet new people
attract, expand and come up with more affordable cars. After the SUV follows a ‘mid-
size’ platform with at least a smaller sedan and then a second SUV. Think more
towards the Tesla Model 3 and Y. We are talking about 2025/26. Until then you can
people in Hilversum are going to watch the Air, because Lucid will be opening there in mid-December
first European Service Center. Still a nice Dutch first.