After a lot of pomp and grandeur, Lucid Motors has unveiled its electric car called the Air. Its claim to fame is that it is the fastest charging EV in the world with a range of 832 kilometres making it superior to the Tesla Model S. The car has up to 1,080 horsepower available in a dual motor and all-wheel-drive architecture. The company claims the Air is able to achieve a quarter-mile time as quick as 9.9 seconds consistently. This makes it the only electric sedan in the world to achieve a quarter-mile in under 10 seconds. It also has a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour and can hit 100 kmph in less than 3 seconds. The prodigious power of the Lucid Air is supplemented with another capability that allows it to have an incredible range of up to 832 kilometres on a single charge and this has been rated by the EPA.
"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," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors.
The indoor cabin space is inspired by the Tesla Model S.
The Lucid Air is also the fastest charging electric car ever. It has the capability to charge up to 20 miles per minute when connected to a DC fast-charging network. In real-world conditions, this would mean 480 km of charge can be achieved in 20 minutes of charging. The battery itself is 113-kilowatt hour extended range pack. Lucid Motors is clearly gunning for The Tesla Model S as it has this futuristic design language. Its headlamps have a microlaser system comprised of thousands of light channels. All this technology has been developed in house and it provides the brightest and most precise and advanced lighting system ever put on a car. The steering is also digital and is possible by digitally switching light channels in different directions enabling better visibility and in enhanced safety.
The interior of the Lucid Air is very luxurious. In front of the driver seat, you get a 34-inch curved glass cockpit with a 5K resolution that is floating above the dashboard, contributing to the light and airy feel of the cabin. There is a retractable pilot panel that sits inches away from the driver and the passenger for more granular control of the vehicle systems.
The Lucid Air was revealed at the New York Auto Show
On top of the digital displays, several highly tactile precision-milled physical controls are also there including rib turbines for steering wheel functions and also volume control rollers and alloy knobs which are for tuning the climate control settings. This is also one of the first connected cards to get Alexa integrated. Amazon for this and this enables the driver and passenger to enjoy a fully hands-free Alexa enabled experience on the go for navigation, calling, streaming media, smart home control and also even adding items to the Amazon.com shopping cart alongside To-Do List.
When one talks about the price of the so-called Tesla killer it's going to be expensive. Just the entry-level model of the Lucid Air will set one back by $80,000 which converts to around Rs. 59,00,000. The top of the line Lucy Air dream edition will cost $169,000 making it cost upwards of a crore in Indian rupees.
