Lucid Motors is working hard to compete with Elon Musk’s Tesla as well as other electric carmakers. The California-based company recently went public. Its model Lucid Air Dream Edition received an Environmental Protection Agency-rated range of 520 miles or more than 836 kilometers. As a result, it became the longest-range EV ever rated by the agency.
The agency’s rating certifies Lucid’s claim from over a year ago that its forthcoming electric sedan would be the longest range production EV on the market. The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision also represents a victory for Lucid Motors CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. He was in charge of the Model S project when he worked at Tesla. Rawlinson stated that the Air will outperform Tesla in terms of range, luxury, acceleration as well as price.
Lucid Air Dream Edition bests the longes-range Tesla offered by Elon Musk’s company by more than 100 miles. But 520-miles will come at a cost, with Lucid Air Dream Edition with 19-inch wheels starting at $169,000. People who can not afford to pay $169,000 can wait for a more affordable base model. The price of such a model starts at $77,400 (or $69,900 with the federal EV tax credit).
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The Environmental Protection Agency also rated various trim levels. The agency rated Dream Edition with 21-inch wheels (481 miles), Dream Edition Performance (471 miles with 19-inch wheels, and 451 miles with 21-inch wheels). It also rated the Grand Touring (516 miles with 19-inch wheels and 469 miles with 21-inch wheels).
Lucid Air’s battery pack and its aerodynamic design, help contribute to the vehicle’s formidable range. Potential customers should not forget that range is highly subjective. The agency’s rating is meant to showcase a snapshot of the vehicle’s performance under the specific conditions of EPA’s testing process. Its testing process usually excludes factors such as steep hill climbing and the effects of cold weather.
The Environmental Protection Agency and Europe’s Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) independently determine the range of electric vehicles. Usually, WLTP’s results are more optimistic than the EPA’s.
Lucid Motors is gearing up to start delivering its first Lucid Air models to customers later this year. The company is hosting a production review at its Advanced Manufacturing Plant Factory (known as AMP-1) in Arizona at the end of the month.
