Lucid Air Range: First EV With 520-Mile Range, Zips Past Tesla Model S Plaid
There was a lot of chatter surrounding the potential range of the Model S Plaid+ until Tesla and Elon Musk decided to kill the model before production. Now the Lucid Air has a 520-Mile EPA-rated range that beats the Tesla Model S Plaid anyway. So how do the two electric vehicles compare? The Lucid Air is pretty cool, especially if you aren’t into Tesla.
The Lucid Air officially gets 520-miles of range from the EPA
The Lucid Air electric vehicle officially has an EPA-rated 520-mile range. That’s about 100 miles longer than any other EV on the market right now, most notably, the Tesla Model S. However, there is a catch. You have to get the Lucid Air Dream Edition Range with 19-inch wheels. The 21-inch wheels only have 481-miles of range, which is still very impressive.
There are a few different trim levels, but the Lucid Air price starts at $77,400 and gets 480 hp, 406-miles of range. Up from there, the Air Touring model starts at $95,000 and gets 620 hp with the same range.
The Air Grand Touring has 800 hp but starts at $139,000. This trim level does get 516 miles of range, which is impressive. And finally, the Air Dream Edition starts at $169,000. The Air Dream Performance Edition gets 1,111 hp and has 471-miles of range. The Air Dream Range has 933 hp and the unbeatable 520-miles of range. These might vary a bit depending on the wheels, as previously mentioned. Both of the Dream Edition models are currently sold out.
The Model S Plaid is cool, but the Lucid Air is new
Remember when Tesla announced that the Plaid+ would have a 520-mile range? That was the biggest thing to happen to electric vehicles, basically ever. But then the company decided the Plaid+ wasn’t worth the headache of producing it, and Tesla cut the Model S Plaid+. People could switch current reservations to the Model S Plaid, but it didn’t come with 520 miles of range.
The Model S Plaid gets an EPA-estimated 396 miles of range with the 19-inch wheels. The 21-inch wheels get an EPA-estimated 348 miles of range. The Long Range model gets 405 miles with the 19-inch wheels and 375 miles with the 21-inch wheels.
The Long Range runs about $84,490, and the Plaid starts at $124,490. The Model S plaid has 1,020 horsepower as it stands. But Tesla is no longer eligible for the federal tax credit and likely will be excluded from the recently proposed changes. That’s where Lucid is going to pull ahead.
The two EVs are similar but Lucid might have the upper hand
According to The Verge, Lucid Motors CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson worked at Tesla during the development of the Model S. Lucid didn’t have a random goal in mind. The company knew what numbers to beat. Rawlinson noted the Air “will outmatch Elon Musk’s company in terms of range, luxury, acceleration, and price.”
There is supposedly a cheaper base model Lucid Air trim hitting the market later in 2022 for $77,400. All of the Lucid vehicles are still eligible for the federal tax credit. People have heard about the Model S for a while now. Perhaps the people are ready for something new. The Lucid Air could fill that niche with its 113kWh battery.
As the electric vehicle revolution continues to heat up, the Lucid Air might be the coolest new car to carry us through. With the higher price point, Lucid is going to a luxury car audience, while Tesla is going for higher sales numbers. Things move quickly in the electric vehicle world, but the Lucid Air can probably keep up.
