Lucid Motors hype machine has been running at full steam in the weeks leading up to today’s official unveiling of the Air luxury electric sedan.
Once today’s presentation was over, it did not disappoint and while we already learned a lot about the Air recently, we now have a better idea on what the production version will look like.
Design
Visually the Lucid Air isn’t very different than the images the company has released since the concept was first unveiled in 2017.
The interior design is very similar to what we have already seen, with one exception. At release, it will now come with a conventional bench seat instead of the separated ‘executive’ seats the company has been pushing thus far. But they are not lost, Lucid says they will come in a later release of the Lucid Air.
When configuring your Lucid Air, you can select from a variety of colour schemes inspired by various California locations like Santa Monica, Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, and the Mojave Desert.
Up front the dash will feature a 34-inch curved 5K floating display behind the steering wheel, accompanied by a smaller screen, dubbed the Pilot Panel, in the center that retracts into the dash when not in use.
Performance
The Air Dream Edition will come in a dual-motor AWD configuration that pumps out 1,080 horsepower, pushing the Air through the 1/4 mile in 9.9 seconds. Lucid released this video last week, showing the record breaking run, but in today’s presentation it appears it was completed in a stripped-down version of the car with no interior. If true, we’ll have to wait until the production version hits the track to see what kind of times it can put down.
Did they set the 9.9sec 1/4 mile time in a completely stripped #LucidAir? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/bySmR9DF93
— Drive Tesla 🇨🇦 (@DriveTeslaca) September 9, 2020
As we already knew, Lucid says the Air will feature a 113kWh battery pack and claims it will be certified by the EPA with a range of 517 miles (846km) on a single charge.
Charging
The car will also be the fastest charging EV in the world (unless something changes by the time it is released in 2021). The company says it can reclaim 20 miles (32km) per minute, or 300 miles (482km) in 30 minutes while charging at a DC fast charging station. That blazing fast speed is thanks to an onboard 900V architecture which peaks at 300kW.
It will also be come with Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) capabilities thanks to a 19.2kWh bi-directional charger, giving owners the ability to power their homes and other Lucid vehicles with their car.
Models and Availability
The Air will come in 4 different variants, with the most expensive Dream Edition arriving first in spring 2021 at a price of $169,000 USD.
The Air Grand Touring will ship in mid 2021 with a price of $131,500 USD, while the Air Touring will arrive in late 2021 at $95,000 USD.
The lower-end Air will be shipped in 2022, at a price “under $80,000” USD.
The company has so far said it will be available in North America, so we assume it will be available in the US and Canada at the same time. Canadian pricing has not been confirmed yet.
Lucid has plans to open Lucid Studios and Service Centers across North America where you can experience the Air through virtual reality, as well as see and feel the different interior combinations. So far it appears the only location in Canada will be in Vancouver, British Columbia.
You can configure and reserve your Lucid Air now on their website. Saving a space in line will set you back $9,800 CAD ($7,500 USD) for the limited Dream Edition. The other variants cost a more reasonable $1,300 CAD ($1,000 USD) to reserve. All deposits are fully refundable.
Lucid’s presentation today was very impressive, and worth a watch if you have the time. The company appears to have developed a solid EV with lots of potential, but it will appeal to a very limited number of buyers at its initial price point.
It is also important to remember the production versions of the Air won’t be hitting the streets for at least another 6 months, and as we all know a lot can happen in that amount of time. We’ll have to wait and see if it is still the industry leaders in a number of these categories once deliveries begin.
You can watch the full livestream below.
