Lucid has revealed the EPA range of its first, limited edition Air EV and it's mighty impressive. The Air Dream Edition Range will go 520 miles on a charge, "delivering at least 100-plus miles of additional range of its closest competitor," the company announced. The models tested "now occupy the top six positions for overall EPA range ratings among EVs," according to Lucid.
The Air Dream Edition models (Range and Performance) both offer 113kWh battery packs — significantly larger than the 100 kWh used in Tesla’s Model S Long Range Plus — but the company said the prodigious range is not just due to that.
"This landmark has been achieved… not by simply installing an oversize battery pack,” said Lucid CEO/CTO Peter Rawlinson. “Our race-proven 900V battery and BMS [battery management system] technology, our miniaturized drive units, coupled with our Wunderbox [drivetrain] technology endow Lucid Air with ultra-high efficiency, enabling it to travel more miles from less battery energy."
The Air's very low 0.21 drag coefficient likely helps too, particularly on the highway. When considering EPA range versus battery size, the range model delivers 4.6 miles per kWh, compared to 4.01 miles per kWh for the Tesla Model S long range.
Performance isn't sacrificed in the range model either, despite the name. It still delivers 933 horsepower, enough to kick it from 0 to 60 MPH in 2.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 168 MPH. The 1,111 horsepower performance version, meanwhile, will travel 471 miles on a charge and the 800 horsepower Lucid Air Grand Touring will go 516 miles. Tests were done with 19-inch wheels, and all models will travel significantly less far (though probably look cooler) with 21-inch wheels.
You'll certainly pay for that range and performance, however. The Air Dream Edition models, released in limited run of 500 and arriving first to market, will start at $169,000. The Air Grand Touring model will show up later for $139,000, followed by the $95,000 Air Touring and finally the base, sub-$80,000 Air. When they'll go on sale is still an open question, though. Lucid most recently promised the second half of 2021 for the first limited edition models, but it has already missed a number of previous deadlines.