Lucid Dream
Dmitrii Blium
News
The California company Lucid has announced that its flagship model, the Air luxury sedan, will be made in two different top-line Dream Edition versions—one optimized for performance, the other for range.
In Dream Edition Performance form, the Lucid Air will accelerate to 60 mph (100 kph) in less than 2.5 seconds and make 1,111 horsepower, while the Range version does it in 2.7 seconds and makes 933 hp.
The company plans Lucid Air to reach its first customers next spring.
Range
Lucid Air is shaping up to leapfrog past the Tesla Model S in range. The Model S only recently broke the 400-mile (644 km) barrier, with an EPA rating of 402 miles (647 km). But the upcoming Lucid Air will likely earn a number exceeding 500 miles (805 km).
For now, that number is not at all confirmed by the EPA. Lucid says that EPA range certification is currently in process. But it recently completed a real-world evaluation drive with Motor Trend. Two Dream Edition Range cars went from Los Angeles to San Francisco - taking U.S. 101 for much of the way, then back across the Bay to Lucid headquarters. According to Lucid, the two EVs with usual driving speeds and use of climate control traveled 445 miles (716 km) on a single charge, showing 30 and 72 miles remaining (48 and 116 km), respectively.
Technology
What makes Lucid Air so efficient? No single thing but a sum of it all: credit goes to the Air’s record-low (for a luxury car) 0.21 coefficient of drag and reduced frontal area, its unified, oil-cooled motor-transmission unit, and the motor itself, among many details.
The motor, which can spin up to 19,500 rpm, incorporates “a breakthrough on the electromagnetism side,” according to CEO Peter Rawlinson, and has about a third the cogging torque - that’s the interaction that the motor’s magnets provide when no current is applied - versus any competitor’s motor. Further, it’s the only company that’s using patented cooling for the core of its motors.
He also credited the company’s “over 900-volt architecture.” It decreases resistance throughout the system and thus additional energy losses for cooling.
Design
The pictures and videos tell everything. For me, the vehicle looks so futuristic and beautiful. The elegant shape of the aircraft has inspired the team to create a phenomenally fluid form.
The optional solid glass roof spans the entire cabin almost without interruption. It has a slew of protective interlayers to block out heat and sunlight.
Interior
Despite Air’s mid-size exterior, the interior is surprisingly spacious, with proportions akin to a full-size sedan. That is made possible by powertrain components miniaturized to create additional space.
And it is not just roomy. The interior is packed with luxury features like available massaging seats.
An optional Executive Rear Seating Package will offer a jet-style experience for two that lets you recline way back.
The Air has a floating 34-inch glass cockpit panel that curves around the driver’s seat and presents in 5K resolution. Additionally, a retractable central pilot panel allows for deeper control of features — and glides away to reveal hidden storage.
Charging
Lucid Air’s built-in Wunderbox provides 900V+ architecture. Per the company, it is the fastest EV charging system available – able to fill up to 300 miles of charge in about 20 minutes. Beyond speed, it is compatible with nearly every public charging station and has bi-directional capabilities coming soon.
Prices
The prices range from $70k for a single-motor 480 hp Air Pure model to a $162k dual-motor Air Dream Edition with 1080 hp. Reservations for the latter are already closed, by the way.
💡 Article on Green Car Reports
🌐 Lucid website