Get moving, Elon Musk. Tesla may have been the first to build an electric car with a range of over 400 miles, but Lucid has some amazing news to share.
The startup, which was once on the verge of collapse, said Tuesday it was Air-electric sedan will travel an astonishing 517 estimated miles on a single charge. Five hundred and seventeen miles, people. Today the Tesla Model S. is king with one 402 miles EPA estimated rangeand in reality it will stay on top until Lucid actually builds the air. But if it does, it could deal a blow to Tesla.
Now of course it's easy to toss numbers around when it comes to startups and wild concepts. But Lucid did his homework. They took the air to FEV North America to undergo independent testing. There, FEV applied the EPA's current test cycle with the standard adjustment factor, which returned the range of 517 miles. In addition to the independent test results, Lucid said its own tests showed the air would go well beyond its original estimate of more than 400 miles of range.
"A few years ago we introduced our alpha prototypes to the Lucid Air and promised a range of over 400 miles. This reflects our technology at the time," said Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid. "In the meantime, we have made a number of technological breakthroughs that culminate in unsurpassed energy efficiency."
In essence, Lucid believes it was ahead of the game years ago. However, while the company had financial problems before it was a lifeline in the form of Saudi investment moneyIn addition, the company's own technology has been further developed. That got us to this day, less than a month before Production Air Debuts in September.
Rawlinson also attributed the 900-volt electrical architecture to Air and Atieva, Lucid's technology arm and battery supplier. Atieva has been the FIA's official battery supplier since 2018 Formula E. Lucid believes his experience in making a series electric car has paid off.
"I am pleased that today we have achieved an estimated 517 mile (EPA) range while significantly reducing the capacity of our battery, reducing the weight and cost of the vehicle and improving the interior," added Rawlinson.
This is quite an accomplishment from Lucid, although today you can buy a Tesla Model S while you can't buy a Lucid Air after reading this story. Even so, Lucid is still accepting reservations for the luxury sedan and plans to start production there new factory in Arizona Beginning of 2021. And unless Tesla lets them new roadster or Cybertruck With their planned 500-mile ranges, Lucid seems to be the eventual winner.
