The all-electric vehicle is taking the automotive market by storm, and some EVs, like the Tesla Model S, are making waves with car enthusiasts. 

However, there’s a new company moving into the segment, and they’re bringing a powerful EV with them to compete with Tesla’s Model S. While Lucid, the new kid on the block promises to take on Elon Musk’s company head to head, Tesla still has a few advantages over them. MotorTrend explains how the Model S can meet the Lucid Air head-on.

The price advantage Tesla has over the Lucid Air

While the Lucid Air promises to outperform the Model S, Tesla still has a few advantages over them. One of them is the price point. The most expensive Tesla Model S costs around $96,190. Lucid hasn’t released a price yet for any Air models, but MotorTrend expects it to go well beyond the $100,000 price tag. 

Since Tesla has many more years of EV manufacturing experience and produced approximately four models to date, they’ve learned many tricks of the trade to keep costs down. The Air hasn’t debuted yet, but when it does, it won’t be able to compete with Tesla’s prices until they’ve had a few years under their belt. 

But, even then, Tesla will still have almost two decades of experience more than them. To compete, Lucid will have to pull from their battery manufacturing experience since they’re best known for producing the batteries for Formula E race cars. 

Other advantages the Tesla has over the Air

Tesla made one of the smartest moves in the industry, and that was to open up several supercharging stations throughout the world. Some in key locations. People who buy a Tesla nowadays know that they’re covered when charging on the go. 

They don’t have to worry about running out of battery power in the middle of nowhere. Also, Tesla made charging super simple as well. Just plug in the vehicle, and it recognizes the car and the credit card associated with that vehicle. You don’t have to mess with scouring your wallet to find it.

Lucid relies on Electrify America as they partnered with them to provide charging on the go. While this company has many charging stations across the country, they don’t hold a candle to the number of Tesla stations across the world. 

Tesla also has one of the most innovative trip planning software programs. You can not only plan your route from one charging station to another, but it will also help you continually search to find the most efficient path possible. The Lucid Air doesn’t have this technology but plans to roll one out sometime in the future. 

Autopilot technology is continually being perfected by Tesla engineers to make it the safest and most efficient on the market. Because Elon Musk’s company has been around for about 17 years, they’ve had plenty of time to tweak it as necessary. The Lucid Air won’t have that advantage as they enter the EV ring for the first time. 

What we know about the Lucid Air 

While the Lucid Air hasn’t rolled off the production line yet, the specs released ahead of its debut sounds impressive and just a little bit jaw-dropping as well. 

According to Car and Driver, Lucid has promised their EV will have an EPA estimated range of 517 miles, which far surpasses what Tesla’s Model S is capable of, at this time, which is 402 miles. They also boast their powertrain will be capable of achieving 1,080 hp in their top-of-the-line model, which, again, passes Tesla.

With its planned aerodynamic design and powerful motor system, the Air reportedly can go a quarter-mile in only 9.9 seconds. This is partly due to the 900-volt architecture Lucid’s EV sports. 

Lucid plans to go all out when it comes to luxury with the Air. It will have a high-quality fit and finish, spacious room for both front and rear seats, mostly glass roof, and an expansive digital gauge cluster and infotainment system. 

Lucid has the advantage of being the new kid on the block who’s seen the mistakes its competitor has made, so they know what to avoid. Tesla has the advantage of having more experience and being a leader in the EV market for so long.