Lucid Air may be the yardstick by which all luxury performance EVs are measured

Lucid came out of nowhere. The CA company - formerly called Atieva - at the start supplied EV batteries and powertrains for other vehicle manufacturers and Formula E racing.
In late 2016, it disclosed the Perspicuous Air - a malodourous-performance luxury battery EV - aft hiring Peter Rawlinson (Tesla's Model S Fomite Engineer) and Derek Jenkins (Mazda's head of design), and announcing it was building a manufacturing plant in Arizona.
TechRadar lately visited Lucid's works in Casa Grande, Arizona on the first base official day of production, and fagged more or less 20 transactions dynamic a pre-output Coherent Air Dream Variant ($169,000 before incentives) on close highways and freeways, under the watchful centre of a companion representative. Here are our first drive impressions.
Lucid Air price and availableness
The Lucid Air comes in four trims - Dream Edition ($169,000 before incentives, deliveries begin late October 2021), Thousand Traveling ($139,000), Touring ($95,000), and Pure ($77,400).
Online reservations are available for all trims exclude the Dream Variant, which directly has a waiting list. A deposit of $1,000 is needful for all trims except the Undefiled, which can cost reserved for $300.
UK, Australian and rest of the world pricing and availability for the Lucid Air are all the same unknown.
Lucid Aviation specs and features
We drove the Dream Edition, and photographed the Grand Itinerant trimness. The Dream Edition comes in ii variants: Performance with 1,111hp and a 471-knot (758km) EPA range, and Range with 933hp and a 520-mile (836km) EPA range.
Specs for the other trims are 800hp with a 516-mile (830km) projected set out (Fantastic Touring), 620hp with a 406-mile (653km) protrusive range (Touring), and 480hp with a 406-mile (653km) projected range (Pure).
All trims are dual-motor AWD except Pure, which is single motive RWD (with nonobligatory AWD).
In the US, Transparent includes three years of free DC presto charging on Electrify America's charging network with all Lucid Aerate trims.
The Dream Edition delivers over 737ft-lb (1000Nm) of torque and a top speed of 168mph (270km/h), with a 0-60mph time of 2.5s (Performance) or 2.7s (Place). Now that's dissipated!
The Lucid Aerate is built around a 924V electrical arrangement, and the Dream Edition boasts a 113KWh battery pack made of 22 modules, which contain 2170-data formatting cylindrical cells made to Lucid's spec by Samsung SDI operating theater LG Chem - depending on trim.
All Lucid Air trims support 300kW DC fast charging and 22kW AC charging via a standard CCS Jazz band connective. Clear's Wunderbox Bi-directional on-card charger as wel supports V2G and V2V.
In addition to designing its own battery bundle, Crystalline's also developed its ain take units - identical front and in reply - which integrate the motor, gear case (single gear), and inverter into a single, immoderate elfin and lightweight package.
Coherent Publicize tech
With its headquarters set in Si Vale, Perspicuous - like Tesla - is a tech-savvy company. As much, the Lucid Air integrates the latest in fomite tech, including a multi-screen LTE-connected infotainment system battery-powered aside Android Self-propelled, Level 2 ADAS called DreamDrive, and even a lidar sensor - the opening in a US production machine.
In all, there are cinque displays, 14 cameras (one inside), quintet radar sensors, and multiple ultrasonic sensors.
Amazon's Alexa voice assistant is built-in, on with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto brook, Qi wireless phone charging, and multiple USB ports.
But what actually stands come out of the closet is the Lucid Air's 34-inch 5k resolution arcuate Glass Cockpit, which is made up of three seamlessly integrated screens. It's standardised to - but bigger than - the incurvate glass instrument display on the Porsche Taycan, and appears to be floating to a higher place the dashboard.
The socialistic and good side screens are touch sensitive, but the instrument display in the middle isn't - yet these three panels blend into indefinite. Controls for the headlights, wipers, defrosters, threshold locks, and more are located on the smaller screen to the left, while the larger covert to the right is used for home, sailing, entertainment, and communication.
It looks tops futurist, but without the visual heft of - say - the Hyperscreen found in the Mercedes EQS.
Below the dashboard, in the middle, is another touchscreen called the Pilot Panel, which controls force back modes, climate, seating, interior lighting, charging, settings, and more.
It's like an iPad Air (see what we did on that point?) resting along the center console at a 45-degree Angle. Strike the lesser pointer centered at the bottom bound of this show, and the entire motorized panel retracts into the dashboard to reveal a storage cubby. Clever.
Unmatchable more touchscreen is located in the central console behind the armrest, facing the rear passengers. IT controls rear climate, seating area, and the power sunshade.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time using these displays operating theatre rooting round the documentary film system. The navigation didn't work, and some of the software seemed unfinished. Still, the user go through was polished, and the infotainment system was antiphonal.
We also didn't draw a chance to properly mind to Lucid's Unreal Sound audio frequency system, which features 21 speakers and Dolby Atmos tech. The little bit we heard measured decent, though.
Connected the plus sidelong, we were able to try Lucid's DreamDrive Level 2 ADAS on a stretch of superhighway, and it felt quite competent - on par with Tesla's Autopilot - and definitely more grouped than many other competing systems already on tour.
Unlike Tesla's Autopilot, DreamDrive doesn't disengage when you take all over the guidance wheel. Instead, it lets you drive, attempts to reacquire the lane, and notifies you when it's safe to Army of the Pure die out of the wheel again.
So if you see an obstacle on the road, you can manually avoid it, then glide right back into DreamDrive without turn it back happening - as long as you don't brake. It's beautiful nonrational.
Beyond machine guidance, adaptive cruise dominance, a 360-degree eyeshot, and self-parking, Lucid's advanced driver assist and guard suite will admit everything you'd expect from a Bodoni flagship electric car - from lane departure, blind spot, and forward hit warning, to cross dealings alert, and automatic emergency braking.
OTA (over-the-melodic line) software package updates and phone-equally-a-Florida key are also on the menu, by nature. No surprises hither.
Finally, Lucid uses the interior camera to recognize WHO's impulsive and recollection that person's profile, including seat, rearview mirror, and steering wheel situation, advantageous car settings and some other preferences.
With Dolby Atmos, DreamDrive can play directional sonic warnings to help the driver locate hazards. In plus, the infotainment organization comes with inherent apps like Spotify, Periodic event, TuneIn Radio, Sack Casts, and iHeartRadio.
Lucid Vent design
The Lucid Melodic line's design is definitely polarizing. IT looks very sleek and futuristic, merely also kind of awkward - the out-of-door recalls Chinese cars like the Xpeng P7, or even the LeEco LeSee concept we power saw at the Shanghai Motor Show back in 2016.
And with a coefficient of drag (Cd) of clean 0.21, it's certainly sleek. But it's the bubble-like rear end that's within reason awkward. The good news show is, it's a lot more appealing in person.
Frankly, from some angles, we intend it's downright sexy. No matter what, the Lucid Air turns heads.
It's low and all-inclusive, and features a band of unputdownable design cues, like the deuce-tone paint chore, the grapple body and frunk, the light parallel bars front and back, the narrow multi-lens system headlights, the windshield that extends all the room to the B pillar (Tesla Model X-style), the semi-frameless windows, and the almond-shaped rearview mirrors.
It's every last tastefully done, with good craftsmanship and attention to detail. This topic continues inside, where the Lucid Air really lives capable its name. It's airy and broad.
We've already discussed the futuristic 34-edge curved Glass Cockpit and retractable Pilot film Board in the tech section above, simply the rest of the interior looks and feels extremely modern and premium. The colouration, physical, and finish combinations are especially pleasant.
Unlike traditional luxury sedans, which are almost kitsch these years, the Lucid Melodic phrase's inner strikes the perfect balance betwixt Nikola Tesla minimalism and Mercedes sumptuousness.
There are a few buttons and switches boilersuit, but the basics are covered, including dedicated seat, window, and clime controls, and straight a volume thumbwheel. Still, Nikola Tesla's Uxor influence is undeniable - especially with the turn signal and gear selector stalks.
Similarly, the rearview mirror and wheel pose can lonesome be controlled from the Pilot Board - ditto mark the glovebox latch. At least the vents can still Be adjusted manually.
The two-spoke steering wheel includes a triplet of buttons and a thumbwheel on each spoke for DreamDrive (leftover) and multimedia (right).
Alas, in the car we drove, those thumbwheels didn't feel premium enough in terms of tactile feedback.
But then, that car was pre-production. Everything else was of high timbre - especially the materials, which include leather, wood, material, and alcantara.
The two-tone design of the exterior continues in the interior, where the ball over color in the front extends to the rear seats, and the dashboard color extends to the front seats. Additional features include massaging, hot, and ventilated seats positive a meth roof for the rear passengers.
Distance is abundant in the Lucid Aura. The fixed floor provides ample legroom and headroom for the number one wood and passengers, justified in the back hind end, and there's plenty of quad in the trunk.
Despite the sloping bum, this car isn't a hatchback, but the rear seating perform fold 40/60 and feature a passthrough. And with 10 cubic feet (283 liters) of storage, flatbottom the frunk is liberally moderate-sized.
- I drove a car with the windows blacked out using only its cameras
Lucid Transmit driving impressions
We only drove the Lucid Bare Dream Edition (Range variant) for about 20 minutes on the highways and freeways near the company's embed in Casa Grande, and then our seat time was limited.
Other than cloverleaf interchanges, there wasn't much of an opportunity to test the vehicle's kinetics since this role of Arizona is rather flat, with by and large straight roads. We'll find forbidden more than when we review the Lucid Air sometime in the next year.
The first thing we noticed is that the seating position is high than we expected for such a ground-hugging and sleek vehicle. It's not Tesla Model 3 or Porsche Taycan scummy, but then again, information technology's not crossover high, either.
After adjusting everything to our liking and getting a quick onboarding from the Lucid representative in the passenger seat, we drove off. In a nod to Tesla, in that respect's no superpowe button here - sportsmanlike press the brake pedal point, beak a direction, and go.
Before we continue, let's plunk into close to bailiwick details. The Lucid Air's body is made of aluminium, and the bed of the battery pack is made of an aerodynamically shaped looking glass-fiber reinforced ballistic composite which incorporates part of the rear diffuser.
While burden good is a top priority for Lucid, the car shut up clocks in at 5,050lbs (2,290kg). Yet dissimilar other weighty vehicles, there's zero air abeyance here - just adjustable dampers.
As much, the driving force modes adjust the clumsiness - merely non the ride tallness - of the five-link front and tooshie suspension.
Speaking of which, there are three drive modes - Smooth, Gustavus Franklin Swift, and Dash - each one stiffer, with two levels of regen braking (skyward to 0.3g).
Favourable in Tesla's footsteps, the Lucid Air's brakes are purely hydraulic (not emulsified), and you can choose between hold (for one-bicycle driving) and vagabond modes, and toggle idle fawn on and off.
The brakes on the pre-product car we drove - while on the job fine - didn't feel quite right, requiring to a greater extent pedal travel than expected. Other journalists in separate cars didn't live this, so we'll earmark assessment for our review.
The ride is fantastic - the Lucid Air is supremely rich, and soaks functioning bumps and opencast crudeness without organism soft or blunt. Handling is excellent, too, and the chassis is well grouped.
Once again, we only scratched the surface in price of dynamics, but the Lucid Air seems bad active for such a large car. It's also incredibly pipe down - as you'd expect for such a bounty EV.
Obviously, speedup is outstanding. Patc the fastest Sprint modality was off limits during our drive, Sceloporus occidentalis mode already packs a nice punch, offer the same kind of neck snapping kick we've toughened in Tesla's performance models before.
Smooth mode softens the blow a miniature, but is still satisfyingly quick. A for the steering, it's fine and well tuned, with comme il faut feedback for a modern setup.
Comparable muffler stiffness and throttle response, the steering weight changes slightly based along the push mode. Lucid's done a great job grading up these tug modes from comfort to public presentation. And overall, we came away very impressed with the way this electric automobile drives.
Merely there's a portion more to the Lucid Air than a top notch driving experience. This car combines amazing specs, leading engineering, and sophisticated design into an upmarket package that doesn't feel la-di-da or unhealthy.
Basically, it combines the best attributes of the Tesla Sit S and the Mercedes EQS. Every bit such, it might just become the yardstick by which all future luxury operation EVs are measured. Now that's a big deal.
- I played Deathloop on the 10-inch screen in an Electron volt, and IT was painful
Lucid Air may be the yardstick by which all luxury performance EVs are measured
Source: https://www.techradar.com/news/lucid-air-first-drive