For buyers, a luxury sedan is a bet on a brand. An electric sedan is a bet on technology. The 2022 Lucid Air is a bet on a brand, technology and this California start-up itself. While it’s too early to predict the company’s long-term future, billions of dollars in funding and a brand-new, $700 million factory in Arizona notwithstanding, the future of the car itself certainly looks bright.
After extensive test drives in Arizona and New York, we can say that the Air is a breathtaking achievement in electric design, tech and performance—and one of the most significant new cars for this coming electric age.
Ohm on the Range
The Lucid is the longest-ranging EV in automotive history, with up to 520 miles of stamina. The previous EPA record holder, the Tesla Model S Long Range, is rated for 408. The key to that range—enough for roughly seven highway hours at an average 70 mph—is not simply a giant battery pack; though the Air Dream’s 22 modules, 6,600 cylindrical lithium-ion cells and 118-kilowatt-hour capacity certainly qualify as “big.”
Instead, Peter Rawlinson, Lucid’s founder and chief executive, has become famous for his obsessive focus on electric efficiency. A Grand Touring edition with 19-inch wheels earns a 131 mpge rating, or 38-percent better mileage than a Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 sedan (at 95 mpge). It also beats the Tesla’s maximum 120 mpge rating.
Importantly, the Lucid has demonstrated that 500-mile-plus range and efficiency in real-world testing, versus the Tesla that consistently falls short. In some ways, the Air’s one-upping nature is no surprise: Rawlinson was chief engineer on the Model S before leaving Tesla.
The Air also becomes the industry’s fastest-charging EV, adding up to 300 miles in 20 minutes. Credit this sedan’s 900-volt architecture (versus 400 volts for Teslas, and 800 for the Porsche Taycan) for a peak charging rate of 300 kilowatts. Such speedy refills require finding a 350-kilowatt fast charger, which are just finding their footing in America. But even on a more-common 150-kilowatt public charger, the Lucid will add miles more quickly than any rival.
Engage the Hyperdrive
With up to 1,111 electric horsepower, this all-wheel-drive sedan can jump straight to hyperspace, including a 2.5-second burst to 60 mph. On an all-day cruise in upstate New York, the Lucid dusted internal-combustion cars, with just a gentle squeeze of the accelerator. Within a quarter-mile, which takes less than 10 seconds in a driver-selectable “Sprint” mode, the Air Dream Performance version is traveling above 144 mph.
Is such Star Wars-level force necessary? Not a bit. But power and performance remain bragging (and selling) points to people who plunk down six figures on a luxury car. All-wheel-drive versions combine a pair of remarkably compact, lightweight power units—with an electric motor, single-speed transmission, power inverter and more—that can each crank out up to 650 horsepower.
Pirelli also developed the first “HL” rated tire, to safely allow the Lucid’s 168-mph top speed, but with low rolling resistance to save energy. Even on the largest 21-inch wheels, with fan-like aero blades, the ride remains comfortable. And the Lucid’s regenerative brakes, which slow the car as you lift off the accelerator, could be the template for any EV maker: They’re perfect, including a robust, driver-selectable setting that allows effortless one-pedal driving.
Standout Style
Set aside unmatched driving range and scenery-blurring performance, and the Lucid also comes into focus as a high-style luxury sedan. For all Tesla’s world-changing achievements, let’s be honest: After a decade on the road, a Model S attracts as much attention as a Toyota Camry, especially in status-conscious environs like Silicon Valley or the Hamptons.
Inside or out, Rawlinson’s challenger looks fresher, richer and more exclusive. During my drives, the Air drew questions and compliments at every stop. The Lucid’s teardrop body recalls a river-polished stone, and it’s indeed among the world’s most aerodynamic sedans.
A largely aluminum body is topped with a “Glass Canopy,” a set of panels that create the illusion of a single transparent pane, with interlayers to block heat and sunlight. Available 21-inch wheels boost visual drama, though they slightly ding the Air’s range and mileage.
In nearly every dimension, the Lucid nearly matches the exterior footprint of the Model S and Taycan. Yet the Lucid feels roomier than either, in part because of that airy glass greenhouse—but especially for its generous and easy-to-access back seat. A 9.9 cubic-foot storage “frunk” (using space typically occupied by a car’s gasoline engine) is the largest of any EV, with space for a big roller bag plus several smaller items.
The Mercedes EQS will fit more gear in its massive rear trunk, but the Benz is also nearly a foot longer overall, with no frunk storage. And with 16.1 cubes in the rear trunk, and an extra-wide clamshell opening, the Lucid’s 26-cubic-foot total is far more than any internal-combustion sedan, regardless of size. Rear seats fold 60/40, with a center pass-through. An executive seating package, with a pair of airliner-style rear recliners, is in the works.
Cabin design is minimal but not barren, recalling posh digs from a west-coast shelter magazine. Optional interior trims play up that California vibe, including a “Santa Monica” treatment with open-pore eucalyptus wood, perforated Nappa leather, Alcantara and a touchable, textile blend of Alpaca wool and yarn from recycled plastic bottles. Shapely, supportive seats integrate heating and cooling up front, with robust massage functions.
Balancing User Experience and Technology
A 34-inch, 5K display curls around the driver like a set of wraparound shades. A secondary “Pilot Panel” motors from the dashboard, or retracts, controlling climate settings, seats and other functions. Drivers or passengers can also swipe settings from the main display onto the Pilot Panel. The Lucid’s screen-centric cabin also scores its digital points without being overwhelming or cumbersome.
Lucid’s designers were determined to keep some old-fashioned switches, including for temperature, fan speed and audio volume. Control of the motorized climate vents, however, is inexplicably routed through the center screen.
For its comprehensive advanced driver assistance features, the Air amasses a suite of 32 sensors, 14 cameras and the industry’s first genuine Lidar unit to create a digital image of the car’s surroundings. One camera monitors the driver to help keep eyes on the road.
How do you Buy a Lucid?
Eyes may pop over the prices. Yet the Air is fairly priced versus competition that’s often less powerful, luxurious, rangy, roomy or some combination thereof. The Air’s Dream editions cost $170,500—more than a roughly $131,000 Model S Plaid—but the point is moot: the Air Dream is already sold out.
An Air Grand Touring with 800 horsepower and a 516-mile range starts from $140,500. That slots nicely against a Model S Plaid. Or, Porsche’s Taycan GTS—still the most fun-to-drive EV around—with fewer horsepower (590), a much tighter interior, and less than half the range (roughly 240 miles).
An Air Touring edition gets 650 horsepower and a 406-mile range, for $96,500 to start. Compare that with a Mercedes EQS 450+, which starts from $103,360, with a relatively piddling 329 horsepower and a 350-mile range. By the end of 2022, Lucid hopes to deliver a “starter” model, a rear-wheel-drive Air Pure with a projected 406-mile range and 480 horsepower, for $78,900.
Since all Lucids will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit, the Air Pure’s real price will be just over $71,000. That’s in line with conventional midsize luxury sedans like the BMW 5 Series or Audi A6, which offer far less power and interior space, let alone zero tailpipe emissions, reduced maintenance and no gas-station visits. The Air Pure’s price will also undercut a Model S Long Range by about $12,000, and the EQS 450+ by roughly $24,000.
Like Tesla before it, what the fledgling Lucid can’t offer—for now—is a showroom and service department in every city or state. As of February 2022, the company has opened about a dozen service centers in major metro areas, along with “studio” showrooms. But the company says its growing fleet of mobile techs will perform repairs or scheduled maintenance wherever owners live or work, a move some conventional luxury brands have also been making.
Those mobile vans, Lucid says, feature coffee machines as a perk for owners. Considering the Air’s jolting performance, owners probably won’t need the extra caffeine.