The electric vehicle market isn’t a 1:1 copy of the traditional auto market. Perhaps more than any other type of company in the space at the moment, EV makers come and go, often with a whimper and not a bang.
It’s a pleasant surprise then to get a breath of fresh air in the form of a brand-new EV maker in Lucid who has debuted a new electric vehicle that doesn’t just seem eye-catching, but record-breaking, too.
For a brand-new car with a lot of responsibility on its shoulders to make a stellar first impression, Lucid’s Air certainly hits all the marks. According to early reviews and drive tests, the Air is already beating out all of its competition where range is concerned.
The base model is good for 480 horsepower and has rear-wheel drive, so the car is as agile as it looks. Despite the bite to match its bark, the Air is still Lucid’s idea of a luxury vehicle. The car is feature-rich, and inside and out contains a number of surprisingly high-quality touches.
The most interesting and perhaps impressive bits on the Air are found inside – the car contains an infotainment system, screen real estate, and driver-assistance technology that would rival most 737s. The interior is able to manage a futuristic and sophisticated look without sacrificing comfort or practicality.
According to Lucid and the preliminary EPA data, Lucid’s Air currently has bragging rights for the longest range of any electric vehicle currently on the market. The onboard battery allows for DC fast charging, which with the appropriate charger can allow the Air to recoup around 300 miles of driving range in just under a half hour.
This fast-charge convenience will be free for drivers for the first three years of ownership at certified Electrify America charging stations – not bad at all for an established automaker, let alone the new kid on the block.
While most are quick to look at the flashier aspects of a car to gauge its pedigree, it’s actually the back end, fine-print stuff that tells you whether or not a carmaker has what it counts on to make it in today’s market.
Lucid’s warranty, for example, isn’t much different than anything Tesla offers at the moment. Drivers have a four year/50,000-mile warranty and a powertrain warranty good for eight years or 100,000 miles.
Lucid has put together quite the attractive package for drivers with their new Air. Considering Lucid themselves are newcomers to the auto industry, that bodes particularly well for them.
