Lucid Motors Air + Gravity

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Interesting point he made right away about battery capacity ultimately equaling power output, particularly the more efficient the system is. We already knew that but still. That's why electric cars - big electric cars - are generally the fastest.

That's also probably why future EV sports cars are doomed to be slower and have less range and overall be less efficient than larger cars. The essence of an EV is efficient packaging, which means that a Miata's motors and electrical gizmos will be no smaller or more efficient than a Lexus's, and the Miata's battery can only be so big due to its form factor. So the Lexus will always be more powerful and more energy efficient, because a battery's effectiveness goes up at a higher rate than its weight does, and the longer car will naturally be more aero efficient. The nature of how EVs work and how they work best just points to "sports car" EVs being universally worse than larger form factor cars.

Is a new golden age of slow sports cars upon us? :lol:

Johnny's attitude during the whole video was strange. I get a sense that he's not impressed by EVs in general orr that he was scrutinizing this car heavily.
 
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Yeah, the video felt weird. I think it's because it's not to the same standard as the other Motor Trend content that are locked behind a pay wall. The written version of the first drive is more informative

www.motortrend.com

2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition R Exclusive First Drive: Mic Drop!

Lucid Motors’ excellent electric luxury sedan—its first-ever car, by the way—is absolutely a serious threat to Tesla and other luxury carmakers.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com
 
Keef
Interesting point he made right away about battery capacity ultimately equaling power output, particularly the more efficient the system is. We already knew that but still. That's why electric cars - big electric cars - are generally the fastest.

That's also probably why future EV sports cars are doomed to be slower and have less range and overall be less efficient than larger cars. The essence of an EV is efficient packaging, which means that a Miata's motors and electrical gizmos will be no smaller or more efficient than a Lexus's, and the Miata's battery can only be so big due to its form factor. So the Lexus will always be more powerful and more energy efficient, because a battery's effectiveness goes up at a higher rate than its weight does, and the longer car will naturally be more aero efficient. The nature of how EVs work and how they work best just points to "sports car" EVs being universally worse than larger form factor cars.

Is a new golden age of slow sports cars upon us? :lol:

Johnny's attitude during the whole video was strange. I get a sense that he's not impressed by EVs in general orr that he was scrutinizing this car heavily.
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I feel like Johnny is prone to contrarian-esque bad takes fairly often just to stand out. Anyone remember his "what the..?" Lexus LF-A vs original NSX review?
 
Production officially started yesterday. First deliveries in October.
www.caranddriver.com

Production of the 2022 Lucid Air EV Started Today

We visited the Arizona facility where the new Tesla-fighting luxury electric sedan comes from, and so did an excited group of Air reservation holders. Customers will start getting the cars next month.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
 
R1600Turbo
I drove by the plant a couple weekends ago and they are heavily under construction to expand for the SUV production.
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Lucid is the only reason my Fidelity account is green @Danoff I'm glad I dumped more unemployment funds into that company.
 
Looks very impressive, hopefully that quality trickles down to the lesser trims and eventually a more mass-market model.
 
I know that Lucid is made up of a lot of industry pros, but the Air is truly impressive for an introductory product. The Mazda design heritage (Via Derek Jenkins) comes through - that C-pillar and rear end feel very Mazda to me, just 6-figure Mazda.
 
This car looks French even though it was designed and built in the US. It has this kind of avant-garde chic that very few cars have these days. The price is very steep but you get something that ticks every box and I wish that I could own one here in Australia.
 
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The coach wagon aspect of the seat trims/Color. Should be more plush in the back than the front. Nice car though.
 
I absolutely love Jason and his new work at Hagerty. A very high production video about the Air and the context it was produced in. The way he drifts the Air is beautiful

 
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Lucid Air Sapphire

www.motor1.com

Lucid Air Sapphire Three-Motor Debuts With Over 1,200 HP For $249K

The Lucid Air Sapphire debuts as the brand's new performance pinnacle with three electric motors making over 1,200 horsepower.
www.motor1.com www.motor1.com

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The Air Sapphire has an electric motor powering each rear wheel, in addition to a third motor turning the front axle. For now, the company only says the output is over 1,200 hp.

Lucid projects that the Air Sapphire can hit 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in less than 2.0 seconds. The sprint to 100 mph (161 kph) should take less than 4.0 seconds. The company estimates the quarter-mile sprint to require less than 9.0 seconds. The automaker notes that no "protracted preconditioning routines" are necessary to achieve this performance.

The two motors at the rear offer advantages beyond just straight-line acceleration. They can send torque in different directions to each wheel, which allows for sharper turn-in when cornering. If a turn is especially tight, then the drivetrain controller brakes the inside wheel while directing power to the outside.

To keep this tech running, the rear motors use new heat exchangers and a higher coolant flow rate. Lucid says the battery system has higher power and more precise thermal logic, but the company's announcement doesn't offer any specifics about the tweaks.

The Sapphire has stiffer springs and suspension bushings, in addition to revised damper settings, in comparison to other variants of the Air. The settings for the anti-lock brakes, traction, stability control, and electronic power steering are also different. The vehicle comes standard with carbon-ceramic brake discs.

The Sapphire rides on wheels with five pairs of spokes with a U-shaped design. A carbon-fiber aero disc attaches to the outside of them. The Michelin PS4S tires measure 20 inches in front and 21 inches at the back.

Lucid Air Sapphire begins production in the first half of 2023, and the company begins taking reservations for them on August 23. Prices in the United States start at $249,000 before an undisclosed destination price.
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Lucid announces two new trim levels for the Air, Pure and Touring

www.motor1.com

2023 Lucid Air Pure, Touring Debut: Over 400 Miles Of Range For $92K

Lucid Motors announced two new trims for the Air electric sedan. The Pure starts under $100,000 while the Touring is $107,400.
www.motor1.com www.motor1.com

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the 2023 Lucid Air Pure launches with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model priced at $92,900. That gets you a posh electric sedan with a slightly smaller 18-module version of the company's long-range battery pack. In this case, smaller still means an EPA-estimated range of 410 miles on a charge. Fast-charge capability can reclaim 200 miles in 15 minutes, and drivers still have 480 horsepower (358 kilowatts) to play with. Lucid says it's enough to send the all-wheel-drive Air Pure to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

We single out the all-wheel-drive model here because it's available right away on the Air Pure. A single-motor, rear-wheel drive Pure will launch next year at an even lower price – $87,400. Details on power and range aren't available yet, but it will be the only Lucid Air available in such a configuration. The automaker's DreamDrive suite of driver assists is standard-issue, DreamDrive Pro is optional and the Air Pure also features an aluminum roof.
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The Pure comes in AWD ($93k) or RWD ($87k). It loses the panoramic roof, that the Grand Touring has, for a body color aluminum roof.

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Lucid also calls the Air Touring "the quintessential Air." It wears the Pure's aluminum roof as standard, though the Glass Canopy is an option. Higher-grade materials for the interior such as Nappa leather and wood trim are included at this trim level.

The 2023 Lucid Air Pure and Touring are available now to reserve, with deliveries commencing by the end of the year. All prices mentioned above do not include destination charges.
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The Touring comes with the aluminum roof, with the panoramic roof as an option.




Lucid has also officially announced the Gravity, a seven seater SUV

www.motor1.com

Lucid Gravity SUV Launching In 2024 With Seven Seats, Supercar Speed

Lucid Gravity is the EV company's new SUV, promising a seven-seat capacity with long range and exceptional performance.
www.motor1.com www.motor1.com

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I predict, like the Air, the Lucid SUV will be a looker, but how many different ultra high performance SUVs do we really need?
 
GranTurNismo
I predict, like the Air, the Lucid SUV will be a looker, but how many different ultra high performance SUVs do we really need?
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You underestimate the amount of people with way too much money to spend. Actually, you live in an area where you're likely to see dozens of these rolling around.
 
Keef
You underestimate the amount of people with way too much money to spend. Actually, you live in an area where you're likely to see dozens of these rolling around.
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Spot on. NJ suburbs are filled to the brim with luxury SUVs. M/AMG/RS versions of SUVs, are hardly uncommon. Even the Bentayga and Urus aren’t really that are in wealthier ‘burbs.

What is the performance CUV situation in your area? Especially considering nearly all of them cost significantly more than the average home in Dayton, Ohio.
 
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GranTurNismo
Spot on. NJ suburbs are filled to the brim with luxury SUVs. M/AMG/RS versions of SUVs, are hardly uncommon. Even the Bentayga and Urus aren’t really that are in wealthier ‘burbs.

What is the performance CUV situation in your area? Especially considering nearly all of them cost significantly more than the average home in Dayton, Ohio.
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Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, in that order. Not that there isn't enough disposable income around, but at least the locals are sensible enough to not waste an extra chunk of change on Range Rovers and Bentleys. I spent some time in New Rochelle and nothern Newark a while back and the amount of money driving around was stupendous, a whole other level abovethis region. A whole other level above Cincinnati and Columbus as well.

I agree with your original question - it's kind of disgusting that these people choose to drive cars that aren't even that easy or comfortable as daily drivers, more performance oriented, when they could be driving a Rav4 or something else so much easier and cheaper. It's all about keeping up with the Joneses.
 
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Keef
Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, in that order. Not that there isn't enough disposable income around, but at least the locals are sensible enough to not waste an extra chunk of change on Range Rovers and Bentleys. I spent some time in New Rochelle and nothern Newark a while back and the amount of money driving around was stupendous, a whole other level abovethis region. A whole other level above Cincinnati and Columbus as well.

I agree with your original question - it's kind of disgusting that these people choose to drive cars that aren't even that easy or comfortable as daily drivers, more performance oriented, when they could be driving a Rav4 or something else so much easier and cheaper. It's all about keeping up with the Joneses.
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They want the one that looks the coolest and has the highest price tag to wealth-signal. The extra performance (which manifests itself in their ownership exclusively through mashing the gas getting on the highway) is just a bonus.
 
Definitely no hate and no negativity from me, BUT this is bordering on Nurburgring stuff. Just incredible, all three are doing 9 seconds. It's just now, so what? :lol:

I'm not expecting anything less of EVs. They should be fast. They're supposed to be fast. it's cool there are videos detailing the speeds of such cars. I dig it.
 
What's the point of making them go that fast though? You need a rollcage to go above 135mph and a parachute at 150 when running at any NHRA sanctioned dragstrip, and the tech crew will enforce these rules pretty much to a dot.
 
-Fred-
What's the point of making them go that fast though? You need a rollcage to go above 135mph and a parachute at 150 when running at any NHRA sanctioned dragstrip, and the tech crew will enforce these rules pretty much to a dot.
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They didn't really "make" them go that fast though. EV drivetrains aren't like ICE cars, like that Bugatti where you have to engineer the thing to be fast. You just show up with a battery and a motor and be like "This is already fast as hell".
 

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