Everything we know about the Lucid Air in February 2022

The Lucid Air marks California-headquartered Lucid Motors’ entry into the electric vehicle space. Spearheading the brand is former Tesla Model S chief engineer Peter Rawlinson, who aims to cement Lucid Motors’ identity as a major EV manufacturer. The Lucid Air is the brand’s first product, a 5-door luxury sedan that locks horns with the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan. As of November 2021, Lucid Motors is worth more than Ford and GM, with a market value of USD 91 billion.

Lucid Air Design

The Lucid Air electric car is based on Lucid Space Concept, a layout that takes advantage of the brand’s in-house developed Lucid Electric Advanced Platform (LEAP) on which all Lucid EVs, starting with the Air, will be based. The design is sleek, and the Air is one of the most aerodynamic cars globally, with a drag (Cd) coefficient of 0.21. Lucid claims the Air to be the most aerodynamic car in the world, but that’s not true as both the Mercedes EQS and the Lightyear One have 0.20 Cd.

Upfront, there’s a full-width chrome bar with Lucid lettering embossed. Below the chrome bar is a full-width LED DRL strip flanked with multi-beam LED headlamps. The front bumper is smoothly surfaced, and right at its bottom are air intakes to cool the battery. On either side of the bumper, there’s a vertical LED strip with small air intakes to cool the brakes. The outer edges of the bonnet are scooped and house air intakes as well.

21-inch Aero Blade wheels

The side profile is uncluttered with flush door handles and diamond-cut wheels. The lower variants get basic 19-inch rims. 20-inch ‘Aero Lite’ wheels will only be available from Q2 2022. 21-inch ‘Aero Blade’ wheels are standard on Dream Edition and GT variants. On lower variants, the cool 21-inch alloys cost USD 1,500 extra. Lucid Motors recommends using low profile tyres only on smooth roads. While they enhance handling on smooth roads and look gorgeous, they can damage the chassis if driven on rough roads, for which tyres with larger sidewalls are better suited.

At the rear of the Lucid Air electric car, there’s a slender coupe-like roofline that merges neatly with an integrated boot spoiler. There’s beautiful design continuity at the rear thanks to the full-width tail lamps with Lucid lettering embossed at the centre. On the Dream Edition, which is the fully equipped launch model, the C-pillar is finished in platinum polish with a titanium flag. Overall the Air appears refreshingly attractive, and there are no cues of any other EV in its design.

Interior & features

The interior seems as plush as other luxury EVs. The Pure base variant gets Mojave Purluxe fabric upholstery in black and graphite colours with ‘Obsidian Decor.’ The limited-run Dream Edition, gets Santa Monica interior theme with Nappa full-grain leather upholstery. It also flaunts a ceramic with eucalyptus trim and Alcantara inserts. The Air gets class-leading storage space of 739 liters, of which 280 liters comes from the frunk.

Massive 34-inch 5k screen

The cabin of the Lucid Air is a pure tech fest. The driver’s view is undoubtedly the most interesting. A dominant factor is the Glass Cockpit display — a 34-inch curved floating screen with a crisp 5k resolution. The right side of the cockpit is touch-enabled and contains primary functions like navigation, audio and calling systems. It also supports Alexa voice commands, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and music services like Spotify and iHeartRadio.

The steering is a two-spoke flat-bottomed unit with capacitive touch controls. Another touchscreen houses lighting, wiper, and security controls on the left side. That’s not it; low down in the centre console, there’s another massive display christened ‘Pilot Panel’ by Lucid. In addition to audio, navigation, and phone controls, it controls more detailed vehicle settings. Customers will like the physical buttons for climate control, which are positioned right above this display.

World’s first Dolby Atmos car integration

Standard on the Dream Edition is the ‘Surreal Sound System.’ It offers 21 speakers with surround sound and 3D audio. Lucid claims the Air gets the world’s first Dolby Atmos integration on an automobile, which provides an exceptional multi-directional audio experience. On the GT and Dream Edition variants, the panoramic sunroof is standard. Interestingly, the windshield is a large glass unit extending above the driver’s head. Customer’s buying other variants can cough up an additional USD 4,000 to add the panoramic roof.

DreamDrive Pro autonomous driving

The Lucid Air benefits from a suite of autonomous driving features. DreamDrive Pro is standard on the GT and Dream Edition variants but costs an eye-watering USD 9,000 if customers add it on lower variants. The semi-autonomous sensor suite includes highway assist, traffic drive-off alert, blind-spot warning and display, lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking, collision alerts, and automatic parking.

Connectivity

Customers benefit from Lucid App. The smartphone application allows drivers to plan a journey, transmit navigation information onto the vehicle’s screen, locate charging stations and even pre-heat the car. Proximity sensors make the vehicle greet owners with lighting, unlocking the doors, and popping out flush door handles. The vehicle can memorise driver profiles, and the moment a customer gets inside, facial recognition identifies the driver and selects settings according to personalised preferences.

Lucid Air specifications

The Lucid Air is roughly the size of a Tesla Model S. The latter is 5 mm longer, but interestingly, both the EVs have identical wheelbases measuring 116.54 inches (2960 mm). The long wheelbase seems to have opened up a lot of leg room at the rear.

At the time of deliveries (October 2021), there were two Dream Edition variants on offer, Dream Performance and Dream Range. The electric motors on the former produce 1,111 hp and over 1000 Nm. The motors are slightly detuned to 933 hp on the Dream Range, but torque output remains over 1000 Nm. Both have 168 mph top speed while the Performance sprints to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds, which makes the family sedan as fast as a Bugatti Chiron in terms of acceleration.

Launch edition cars aside, the Air Pure has been tuned for 480 hp, Air Touring for 620 hp, and Air GT’s motors produce 800 hp. All are dual-motor AWD cars.

Lucid Air aspect	Value
Length (in. / mm)	195.8 / 4975.3
Width w/o mirrors (in. / mm)	76.3 / 1939
Height (in. / mm)	55.51 / 1410
Wheelbase (in. / mm)	116.5 / 2960
Motor	Dual motor, AWD
Horsepower	Pure 480 hp, Touring 620 hp, GT 800 hp, Dream Edition Range 933 hp Dream Edition Performance 1,111 hp
0-60 mph	2.5 seconds (Dream Edition Performance)
Top speed	168 mph
Battery	118 kWh (Dream Edition) 112 kWh (rest of the range)
Range (EPA certified)	520 miles (Dream Edition Range)
Charging	DC: Upto 300 kW (300 miles in 20 minutes) AC: 19.2 kW
Aerodynamic Cd	0.21

The Dream Edition Range has an official EPA range certification of 520 miles (837 km) on a single charge while running on 19-inch wheels. The Performance has a range of 471 miles, while the GT gets a 516-mile range on 19-inch rims. On 21-inch wheels, the range drops by 20 km roughly on the Dream Edition cars, while on the GT, 21-inch wheels bring a 47 km decrease in capacity. The Dream Edition cars get a 118kWh battery, while the GT gets a 112 kWh battery. Refer to the chart below for detailed variant-wise range figures.

World’s fastest charging EV

The Lucid Air is claimed to be the fastest charging EV globally. The brand says it supports a peak charging power of 300 kW, adding 300 miles range in just 20 minutes. Inside EVs experimented with charging, and the Air added 208 miles in 12 minutes of DC fast charging and 312 miles in 22 minutes. This is also because the Air has a 900-volt battery, allowing faster charging than a 400-volt battery. For home charging, Lucid will provide a 19.2 kW AC wall box.

The company-provided ‘Wunderbox’ charger works at almost all public charging stations in the US. It has been engineered to adjust incoming voltage and adapts charging speeds for the quickest possible recharge. The brand has partnered with Electrify America, a network of 700 charging stations that house over 3100 chargers across the United States. Customers who book the Lucid Air by June 2022 get complimentary access to 350 kW charging for three years.

Lucid Air also conducted a real-world range test with Motor Trend. Two Dream Edition Range EVs were driven from Los Angles to San Francisco and then rerouted to Lucid Air’s headquarters in the Bay area. The cars travelled 445 miles. Upon reaching the destination, 30 miles range was left on one of the cars and 72 miles on the other. Different driving mannerisms might have caused the difference in range. According to the brand, the Lucid Air GT has an industry-best efficiency of 4.5 miles per kWh.

Lucid Air	Official EPA Estimated Range
Dream Edition Range (933 hp)
19-inch wheels	520 miles
21-inch wheels	481 miles
Dream Edition Performance (1,111 hp)
19-inch wheels	471 miles
21-inch wheels	451 miles
Grand Touring (800 hp)
19-inch wheels	516 miles
21-inch wheels	469 miles

Production & Deliveries

Shortly after Lucid Air earned an EPA certification, production cars began rolling out of the brand’s manufacturing unit in Casa Grande, Arizona. The first cars, which were Dream Edition models, were rolled off the line on September 28, 2021. At that time, Lucid had garnered 13,000 bookings for the Air. Only 520 Dream Edition cars were planned for production. Customers began receiving their vehicles towards the end of October 2021.

Lucid Air Price

The Lucid Air range starts at USD 77,400 for the Air Pure, excluding the federal grant, taxes and other fees. Air Touring starts at USD 95,000, while the range-topping Air GT is priced at USD 139,000. The Dream Edition cars are sold out, and orders are closed. They were priced at USD 169,000. The Tesla Model S starts at USD 89,490 while the Model S Plaid price is USD 124,490, after federal tax credits, as of February 2022.

Lucid Air Variants	Price before tax credit (USD)	Price after tax credit (USD)
Pure	77,400	69,900
Touring	95,000	87,500
Grand Touring	139,000	131,500
Dream Edition (Sold out)	169,000	161,500

Featured Image: Lucid Motors