Saudi Arabia’s electric vision: Everything you need to know about the Lucid Air

The Lucid Air’s September 9 launch date is quickly approaching, so it is time to gather and share all we know about what is expected to be a groundbreaking electric vehicle.

Three years in the making, the Lucid Air promises to break the mold for luxury performance electric vehicles.

In its latest release, the Saudi-backed Lucid Motors is claiming lead ranking for electric vehicle performance and efficiency – yet another in a string of revelations that serve to build up the hype as we approach the vehicle’s launch next week.

Now, the latest release from the company says that with 1,080 horsepower, the Lucid Air will also be 59 percent more powerful than its closest competitor (although it doesn’t state what that is), and that it can run a quarter mile in just 9.9 seconds.

“Our watchword has been ‘focus’ since day one at Lucid – a focus on sound engineering principles, a focus on creating efficiencies, and a focus on maximizing power to create a world-class EV,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motor of the latest claim in a statement to the media.

“When the Lucid Air comes to market next spring, the world will see that we have developed the best electric vehicle technology possible by a wide margin and effectively created a new benchmark for EVs. The result is nothing short of a technological tour de force in every facet upon which a luxury performance car is measured.”

Lucid Motors has already revealed that the premium all-electric vehicle will have the highest charging rate on the market at 300kW.

This will allow it to top up 480 km driving range in 20 minutes using 350kW chargers from companies such as Australia’s Tritium and Swiss electrification giant ABB.

The Lucid Air will also have the ability to charge from and discharge to the grid (referred to as “vehicle-to-grid” or V2G) using a proprietary “Wunderbox”, which essentially means it can serve as a “battery-on-wheels”.

Although not yet approved regulators and very much still in testing phase, this technology will have multitudes of applications in the future from assisting with smoothing grid demand or in the case of “vehicle-to-home” (V2H), acting as a back up power source for homes and businesses.

The Lucid Air will reportedly also outdo the driving range of the Tesla Model S, which currently sits as the longest range electric vehicle on planet with 647km based on the US EPA rating.

An independent test commissioned by the EV startup has also put its driving range at an incredible 832km from its 113kWh battery – very nearly enough to drive from Sydney to Melbourne without stopping (although we note when driving alone, it’s a very good idea to stop).

Additionally, the Lucid Air also beats Tesla on aerodynamics. With a drag coefficiency at 0.21, it is more aerodynamic than the Tesla Model 3’s 0.23.

It’s all very impressive, and only adds to the anticipation of next week’s launch event – although we are left wondering what else will be left to reveal of the sleek, souped up electric vehicle that will be launched in overseas markets in the northern hemisphere spring of 2021.

On top of specifications mentioned above, a fourth release has focussed on the Lucid Air’s spacious design.

Other notable specs include a 900+ volt architecture (the Porsche Taycan, which is currently limited to 270kW maximum charge rate) by comparison is a measly 800 volts).

Lucid Motors also says that the Air’s drivetrain units are 45% lighter than its closest competitor, and 2.5 times smaller by volume.

It will also feature a semi-autonomous driving system called “Dream Drive”, which it says will comprise the most comprehensive sensor suite on the market.

With such an extensive list of features already unveiled by the company perhaps next Wednesday’s unveiling will be more a case of “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”.