Nine facts about the Lucid Air EV and why you should pay attention

Often uttered in the same sentence along with Model S and Porsche POAHY,
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Taycan, the Lucid Air, has captured the imagination of transportation futurists and venture capitalists on the hunt for the next “biggest thing.”

With that in mind, we thought we’d put together a highlight list of nine things you should know about the Lucid Air.

1. What is the Lucid Air 2022?

The Lucid Air 2022 is an all-electric luxury sedan. As of now, the Air is the only model from Lucid Motors. Lucid presents the Air in four classes: Pure, Touring, Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance. Lucid has offered a fifth limited Dream Edition. However, the entire 2022 edition was sold out.

About the same size as the Tesla Model S, the Air is a full-size sedan with room for up to five passengers. The base model has an electric motor and rear-wheel drive (RWD). The rest of the lineup comes with two engines and all-wheel drive (AWD). Each Air comes with three years of free charging through the Electrify America network.

Read: Tesla raises US prices

2. Who is making the Lucid Air 2022?

Atyeva

Atieva, the brainchild of some former Tesla executives, burst onto the Silicon Valley scene in 2007. Originally established to develop and market power packs for third party vehicle manufacturers, Atieva has supplied battery packs for vehicles ranging from motorcycles to buses. Over the next six years, the reliability, range and efficiency of Atieva battery packs grew, as did the company’s ambitions. At the end of 2013, the focus shifted from manufacturing battery packs to developing and constructing a platform to showcase the core battery system. In other words, to build an electric vehicle.

Lucid engines

Although the advancement of its battery packs remained Atieva’s primary mission, management began to draw up plans to transition from a battery pack supplier to an electric vehicle manufacturer. By this time, another Tesla refugee, Peter Rawlinson, had also joined Atieva. He was the lead engineer for the Model S. In 2014, Atieva closed the first round of funding to develop a prototype. Over the next 18 months, Atieva expanded its ranks to include designers, software experts, and engineers, and set about building a prototype.

Meanwhile, Atieva became Lucid Motors in October 2016 in a reorganization. The automaker presented its Air prototype for the first time shortly thereafter. Rawlinson, now CTO, would take the reins as CEO in 2019. Shortly after the 2016 reorganization, the company planned to build an auto factory in Arizona. The Company announced the completion of Phase 1 of this factory in late 2020. The first Lucid Air models rolled off the assembly line in October 2021.

3. When will the Lucid Air go on sale in 2022?

The limited Air Dream Edition was launched at the end of 2021 and sold out immediately. Currently the only trim levels available are Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance. Although you can order the entry-level Pure or the next higher-priced Touring class now, Lucid won’t ship them until the fourth quarter of 2022.

4. What is the maximum range of the Lucid Air?

The range varies depending on the equipment variant. The RWD Pure and AWD Touring deliver up to 406 miles on a full battery. With a maximum range of over 100 miles for touring, the Grand Touring can travel up to 516 miles – claiming the top spot on the longest range list. Opting for Grand Touring Performance reduces the range to a maximum of 446 miles.

5. How fast is the Lucid Air?

Before disappearing from the Air order list, the Dream Edition was the fastest of the strains. With up to 1,111 horsepower, it could accelerate from a stop to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. Its top speed was 168 miles per hour. Now the quickest honor goes to the 1,050 hp Grand Touring Performance. His sprint from 0 to 60 takes about 2.6 seconds. With 819 hp, the Grand Touring accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds. Lucid did not release 0-60 numbers for the Pure or Touring. However, the Pure makes 480hp, while the Touring makes 620hp. We doubt either slackers are ahead of 60 mph.

6. How much does it cost to charge the Lucid Air?

The cost of charging a Lucid Air depends on many factors. Some experts have estimated that it costs $16.80 to charge an Air Grand Touring (the current top-end trim) with its 112kWh battery capacity.

With 19-inch wheels, it burns electricity at a rate of 0.26 kWh per mile. That number jumps to 0.28 kWh per mile with 21-inch wheels. Based on a cost of $0.15 per kWh, each mile you drive on an Air Grand Touring costs approximately $0.04.

A 350kW DC fast charger can charge you from 20% to 80% in just over 31 minutes. It takes 83 minutes to go from 0% to 100%. With a 240 volt system it takes about 13 hours to go from 0% to 100%.

The good news is that the base price of the Air includes three years of free charging at any Electrify America 350kW charging station.

7. How much does the Lucid Air cost?

Lucid is currently shipping the 2022 Grand Touring ($154,000) and the 2022 Grand Touring Performance ($179,000). You can reserve the RWD Pure ($87,400), AWD Pure ($92,900) and Touring ($107,400). Lucid estimates that deliveries of the Pure and Touring will begin towards the end of the year. At this time, Lucid Air models are eligible for a $7,500 state tax credit.

See also: Lucid meets 2022 production targets and increases EV prices

8. Is the Lucid Air better than the Tesla Model S?

When the Air Pure becomes available, it will be less expensive than the base Model S at $104,990. Even in its AWD form, the Pure costs $12,090 less than the AWD Model S. The range of these base models is essentially the same — 406 miles versus 405 miles.

Comparing the Air Grand Touring to the Model S Plaid, the $154,000 Grand Touring is more expensive than the $135,990 Model S Plaid. With its maximum range of 516 miles, the Grand Touring wins the day over the Model S Plaid’s estimated range of 348 miles. In terms of thrust, the Model S claims a 0-60 time of 1.9 seconds, while the Air Grand Touring manages that sprint in 3.0 seconds.

Read: Tesla stock is going up. Thank you Chinese government.

9. Is the Lucid Air 2022 right for you?

When you start buying a $100,000 car, needs have less to do with decision-making than wants. Representing the newest, shiny thing, the Air fits well into the lifestyle of those who need to be first with the latest technology. If money is little or no consideration, signing up to own the latest luxury EV makes perfect sense. The Air also gives you the right to brag about having the longest range of any electric vehicle today. Only you can determine if this is worth $154,000 to you.

This story originally continued KBB.com.