A handful of details about the production-spec Lucid Air have surfaced prior to the car’s premiere at April’s New York Auto Show, with the company also releasing a teaser of the car.
In the video, we see some of the production model’s details while also learning that the launch model will be named “Dream Edition”.
“You will see a hint of one of the special colors we have selected for the production Lucid Air’s debut, as well as glimpses of design elements like Lucid’s Intelligent Micro Array LED lighting technology, the expansive glass canopy roof, and the elegant script carefully chosen for the Air’s model logo,” the company said in a statement.
The production model will get a 900 volt system. Tesla uses a 400v system
Separately, Electrek recently had the opportunity to sit down with Lucid chief executive and chief technology officer Peter Rawlinson about the Air. For those that don’t know, Rawlinson was the chief engineer of the Tesla Model S program from 2009 to 2012 and is fully aware of what it takes to create an all-electric vehicle.
The first thing revealed by Rawlinson about the road-ready Lucid Air is that it will have an “over” 900-volt system, far superior to the 400-volt system used by Tesla or even the 800-volt system of the Porsche Taycan. The executive added the Air will be capable of traveling in excess of 400 miles (643 km) on a single charge based on their EPA cycle estimation.
“Tesla hasn’t cracked it. We can take it to a whole new level of range and efficiency,” Rawlinson said.
When the Lucid Air was first unveiled in 2016, the company said the flagship 130 kWh version would be good for 400 miles of range. Rawlinson revealed that efficiency gains made in recent years mean Lucid can now achieve over 400 miles of range with a battery pack smaller than 130 kWh.
Lucid had intended on selling the Air in a variety of guises that would allow it to directly rival the Tesla Model S with entry-level models priced from as little as $52,500 including applicable federal tax credits up to $7,500. However, Rawlinson said that the company has dropped lower-end versions of the electric sedan and will focus on plush, luxurious models priced at over $100,000 and aiming to rival vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Production of the Air will be handled by the marque’s factory in Casa Grande, Arizona. The first models should roll out of the factory in the final quarter of the year.