Lucid launches production of the ‘Air’ electric sedan
Lucid Motors has officially started production of the first customer vehicles of its Air electric sedan at its plant in Casa Grande in the US state of Arizona. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of October. According to the manufacturer, more than 13,000 reservations have been made so far.
In the middle of the month, the Californian start-up had already published official range ratings for its electric sedan by the US Environmental Protection Agency. With up to 520 miles, or 837 kilometres, for the longest-range variant, the Lucid Air has the highest EPA rating for an electric car to date. This top value applies to the ‘Dream Edition Range’ of the Lucid Air with 19-inch wheels. This is a new variant: when it was unveiled in September 2020, the 588-kW ‘Grand Touring’ model was still listed as the option with the longest range, while the ‘Dream Edition’ had an output of 794 kW according to information at the time.
However, the ‘Dream Edition’ has now been split into the aforementioned ‘Dream Edition Range’ with 686 kW of power and 520 miles of range and the ‘Dream Edition Performance’. The latter has an output of 817 kW and is specified with 471 miles EPA range (758 kilometres) with the 19-inch wheels. With the optional 21-inch wheels, the ranges are 481 miles (Dream Edition Range) and 451 miles (Dream Edition Performance) respectively.
The Lucid Air ‘Grand Touring’ still has an output of 588 kW. With the 19-inch version, the calculated EPA range is 516 miles, i.e. 830 kilometres – and thus only two kilometres below the provisional value that Lucid had given at the premiere a year ago. With the 21-inch version, 469 miles (755 kilometres) are still possible in the EPA standard.
Lucid expects reservation holders of the ‘Dream Edition’ models to receive their vehicles from the end of October. Deliveries of the Grand Touring, Touring and Air Pure models “are expected to follow,” according to an accompanying statement. Lucid says it has now received more than 13,000 reservations for the Lucid Air. The Californian company want to increase the Dream Edition to 520 vehicles.
In addition, the start-up confirms its intention to expand its newly completed factory in Casa Grande. Lucid had completed the first construction phase of the factory with capacities to produce up to 30,000 units of the Air electric sedan in December 2020. However, it was planned from the beginning to expand the plant gradually. When completed, the factory’s production capacity is expected to be up to 400,000 units per year. Against this backdrop, Lucid says it plans to expand the plant by 265,000 square metres. The aim is to increase Air production and start manufacturing the brand’s second electric car, the Gravity, probably in 2023.
From next year, the electric car start-up also plans to deliver its cars in Germany. This was confirmed by the head of the German business unit Roberto Russo to electrive in July. Also in 2022, deliveries are to start in other European countries.
“The proprietary EV technology that Lucid has developed will make it possible to travel more miles using less battery energy. For example, our Lucid Air Grand Touring has an official EPA rating of 516 miles of range with a 112-kWh battery pack, giving it an industry-leading efficiency of 4.6 miles per kWh. Our technology will allow for increasingly lighter, more efficient, and less expensive EVs, and today represents a major step in our journey to expand the accessibility of more sustainable transportation,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Group. “I’m delighted that production cars endowed with this level of efficiency are currently driving off our factory line.”
0 Comments