[TEV31]

Could the Lucid Air be a cheaper alternative to the Taycan?
Lucid priced this luxurious 'race-proven' electric sedan from $60,000 (U.S.) which seems like a bargain, even when "above $100,000" for the Launch Edition that will get 400-miles of range, 0-60 time under 2.5 seconds and top speed of 200 mph. Specs you would only find on the $150,000+ Taycan Turbo.
If I was somewhat new to the Porsche brand, didn't care about what makes the Taycan different, and wanted something more luxurious than a Model S, there's a good chance I would have an Air on reservation right now.

I think Lucid's got a chance.

 

[Axiom]

I was surprised to learn Lucid has exclusive battery rights to vehicles in Formula E:

• "[Customers are] driving race-proven electric vehicle technology," Rawlinson said of the Air sedan, noting Lucid's battery technology has been used for all 24 vehicles in the fifth Formula E race series."
• "Actual data—and showing that its packs are up to the torture and extreme regenerative-braking rates necessary to make it through the race—is what won Lucid the FIA contract, according to the company."
• "The rigors of Formula E usage also will serve as a proving ground for Lucid’s custom architecture for battery cooling. The company not so subtly points to crosstown rival Tesla as an example of performance claims that only deliver under specific conditions. It has already designed intercell cooling around repeat acceleration runs, with its Edna test mule—the quickest van this editor had ever been in, as it covers zero to 60 mph in a claimed 2.9 seconds and boasts twin motors/inverters and 1200 horsepower—aiming to provide acceleration performance numbers that are reproducible not just in close succession but across the battery’s state of charge. And designing a pack that’s ready for potential 350-kW fast-charging parallels some of the cooling requirements for racing-level brake-energy recovery."

 

[Smitty11]

I was surprised to learn Lucid has exclusive battery rights to vehicles in Formula E:

• "[Customers are] driving race-proven electric vehicle technology," Rawlinson said of the Air sedan, noting Lucid's battery technology has been used for all 24 vehicles in the fifth Formula E race series."
• "Actual data—and showing that its packs are up to the torture and extreme regenerative-braking rates necessary to make it through the race—is what won Lucid the FIA contract, according to the company."
• "The rigors of Formula E usage also will serve as a proving ground for Lucid’s custom architecture for battery cooling. The company not so subtly points to crosstown rival Tesla as an example of performance claims that only deliver under specific conditions. It has already designed intercell cooling around repeat acceleration runs, with its Edna test mule—the quickest van this editor had ever been in, as it covers zero to 60 mph in a claimed 2.9 seconds and boasts twin motors/inverters and 1200 horsepower—aiming to provide acceleration performance numbers that are reproducible not just in close succession but across the battery’s state of charge. And designing a pack that’s ready for potential 350-kW fast-charging parallels some of the cooling requirements for racing-level brake-energy recovery."

That's definitely a big advantage for them, especially if they're promoting those kinds of performance numbers. Hopefully they can also deliver a solid range to match.

 

[Stevexige]

Today Motor Trend published a revealing interview with a top executive at Lucid. I have to say, I may not have given this company enough credit. It sounds like Lucid actually has developed a leading technology platform and will be a more serious competitor to the Taycan than I first thought. I had just dismissed this company as vaporware.

Interview With Peter Rawlinson, Lucid Motors CEO and CTO

Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors, wants the Lucid Air to be the best electric car imaginable, even better than the Tesla Model S he helped create.

www.motortrend.com

 

[Axiom]

Today Motor Trend published a revealing interview with a top executive at Lucid. I have to say, I may not have given this company enough credit. It sounds like Lucid actually has developed a leading technology platform and will be a more serious competitor to the Taycan than I first thought. I had just dismissed this company as vaporware.

Interview With Peter Rawlinson, Lucid Motors CEO and CTO

Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors, wants the Lucid Air to be the best electric car imaginable, even better than the Tesla Model S he helped create.

www.motortrend.com

Their fundamentals add up and having backers like Amazon really helps. Also, being ex-Tesla Engineers that want to dethrone the Model S cannot be ignored. So at least the Air being better than the Model S is a real possibility and a massive win.

The Taycan... we'll have to see.

 

[TEV31]

Its great to see that Lucid is leading with aerodynamics:

Lucid’s Drag Coefficient Lower Than Tesla and Porsche Taycan, Topping EV Aerodynamics

The engineering of the Lucid Air was inspired by Formula One race cars.

interestingengineering.com

 

[James8955!]

Lucid is now claiming the Air gets an estimated EPA range of 517 miles. That's a massive claim to make.

Lucid Says Its Air EV Will Get 517 Miles Of Range

We got a hint of this in April, but today Lucid stated that its upcoming Air will get a shit-ton of range, or an estimated 517 miles of it to be exact.

jalopnik.com

 

[Axiom]

Lucid is now claiming the Air gets an estimated EPA range of 517 miles. That's a massive claim to make.

Lucid Says Its Air EV Will Get 517 Miles Of Range

We got a hint of this in April, but today Lucid stated that its upcoming Air will get a shit-ton of range, or an estimated 517 miles of it to be exact.

jalopnik.com

Interesting explanation...

How did we do it? The answer is Lucid’s proprietary technology, along with careful engineering of every aspect of the Air’s performance and efficiency. Starting with the in-house development of an industry-leading drivetrain, Lucid miniaturized and integrated the Air’s motors, transmission, and inverter, and paired this with an ultra-high, 900+ volt architecture to achieve unmatched compactness and efficiency.

“I believe that our 900-volt architecture, our race-proven battery packs, miniaturized motors and power electronics, integrated transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis and thermal systems, software, and overall system efficiency have now reached a stage where they collectively set a new standard and deliver a host of ‘world’s firsts,’” said CEO Peter Rawlinson.

I'll believe it when real world numbers can back it up.

 

[James8955!]

Interesting explanation...

How did we do it? The answer is Lucid’s proprietary technology, along with careful engineering of every aspect of the Air’s performance and efficiency. Starting with the in-house development of an industry-leading drivetrain, Lucid miniaturized and integrated the Air’s motors, transmission, and inverter, and paired this with an ultra-high, 900+ volt architecture to achieve unmatched compactness and efficiency.

“I believe that our 900-volt architecture, our race-proven battery packs, miniaturized motors and power electronics, integrated transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis and thermal systems, software, and overall system efficiency have now reached a stage where they collectively set a new standard and deliver a host of ‘world’s firsts,’” said CEO Peter Rawlinson.

I'll believe it when real world numbers can back it up.

Same here, especially when that's 115 miles more than the Model S' record of 402 miles.

 

[PocketRocket]

Lucid is now claiming you can get 300 miles of ranges with 20 minutes of DC charging

Lucid Air to be the Fastest Charging EV, Featuring a 900V+ Architecture Delivering a Charging Rate of Up to 20 Miles Per Minute

There were luxury cars, then EVs, and now there’s Lucid — the new generation of luxury electric.

lucidmotors.com

 

[St00k]

Looks like there's now a proper Lucid Forum. Same platform to this one so probably a sister site.

 

[Axiom]

I'm starting to like the Lucid Air after going through this 7 part video series

 

[Axiom]

 

[Smitty11]

Lucid released their investor presentation and in it they make comparisons to the Taycan for things like battery efficiency, range, top speed, 0-60 mph, charging times.

https://www.lucidmotors.com/files/lucid-investor-deck-february-2021.pdf

 

[kort]

the Lucid offering is more akin to a tesla model S than it is to a Taycan, the model S and the Lucid are EV sedans that offer high performance, the Taycan is a high performance EV sports car.
neither the model S or Lucid can handle anywhere close to the level of the Taycan.
All are fine cars but the Lucid and Model S cannot be considered to be in the same league as the Taycan.
the Lucid is aimed squarely at the customer for the Model S

 

[Smitty11]

Lucid shared a new test drive video of the Air where they use a Taycan as one of the benchmark cars against it.

 

[kort]

Lucid shared a new test drive video of the Air where they use a Taycan as one of the benchmark cars against it.

swing and a miss, strike 2

 

[Rick]

the Lucid offering is more akin to a tesla model S than it is to a Taycan, the model S and the Lucid are EV sedans that offer high performance, the Taycan is a high performance EV sports car.
neither the model S or Lucid can handle anywhere close to the level of the Taycan.
All are fine cars but the Lucid and Model S cannot be considered to be in the same league as the Taycan.
the Lucid is aimed squarely at the customer for the Model S

I think the Tesla Plaid+ was designed to compete directly with the Taycan Turbo S.

 

[kort]

I think the Tesla Plaid+ was designed to compete directly with the Taycan Turbo S.

there is no comparing the two, the tesla is a fast sedan/grand touring car the taycan turbo S is a true sports car
there is more than 0-60 times

 

[Rick]

To compete with Tesla any other automaker no matter how awesome are their cars, needs a supercharger network similar or better than Tesla’s. The car is just 50% of the experience.