Earlier this month Lucid Motors announced its upcoming Air electric vehicle (EV) would have a range of 517 miles (832km) when it is officially certified by the EPA, which is expected to take place next year.
Now the company has released more information about their EV ahead of its official unveiling next month.
In a post on their website published today, Lucid says the Air will feature a 113kWh battery – 13kWh more than the current industry leader Tesla Model S battery, which has a range of 402 miles (646km).
The company claims they are able to achieve the impressive range figure not by adding “dumb range” of more (and heavier) batteries, but rather by increasing efficiency and reducing battery size.
“It’s relatively easy to achieve more range by adding progressively more batteries but gaining ‘dumb range’ that way increases weight and cost, and reduces interior space,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. “Lucid Air has achieved its remarkable range whilst also reducing battery size through its in-house technology, resulting in a breakthrough in overall vehicle-level efficiency.”
If these numbers are validated by the EPA next year, it means the Air would be very efficient and get 4.57 miles/kWh (7.35 km/kWh) and 218 Wh/mile (135 Wh/km).
It should be noted that during a test-drive with one of the prototypes traveling at 70mph (112km/h) on the highway, Car and Driver reported they were able to achieve 458 miles (737km) on a full battery. An impressive figure, but still below Lucid’s claims.
In a feature well-loved by Tesla owners, Lucid also announced the Air will feature the largest frunk of any EV, with a capacity of 280 liters. Combined with a trunk capacity of 459 liters, the Air will have 739 liters of cargo space, which Lucid claims is best in class for both internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and EVs.
The Lucid Air, and the prototype Lucid SUV were recently spotted in the hills of California during a promotional video shoot, presumably for the unveiling on September 9.
