Lucid Air snatches Tesla Model S Plaid record at Laguna Seca

Lucid Air snatches Tesla Model S Plaid record at Laguna Seca

Business

Just a few days ago Lucid revealed to the world its first model, the Air electric saloon. This avant-garde sedan has managed to capture the attention of the specialized media thanks, among other things, to its high autonomy of 832 km, homologated under the strict American EPA cycle, known for its realism. And all with a battery of “only” 113 kWh, which shows its worked efficiency.

During the presentation of the model, Lucid specified the launch of four versions: Air, Air Touring, Air Grand Touring, and Air Dream Edition. While the launch of the first is scheduled for 2022 and the second for the fourth quarter of 2021, the last two will be available from the second quarter of that year in the United States.

The Air “just” will have a starting price of less than $ 80,000, while the Touring will go to $ 95,000. The Grand Touring for its part will be around $ 139,000, and the Dream Edition will reach $ 169,000. At the moment its estimated prices for the European market or its arrival date to the old continent are unknown.

While the technical specifications of the Access Air for the moment remain a mystery, Lucid did give details of the other three, confirming that the Touring would have a power of 629 hp and a range of 653 km EPA, the Grand Touring 811 hp and 832 km EPA, and the Dream Edition 1,095 CV and 809 km EPA. In all three cases, we will find a powertrain made up of two electric motors (one on each axle, which will give them total traction).

However, during the launch event, Lucid also confirmed the existence of a fifth variant called Performance. The main difference between this model and the rest of the Air range will lie in the use of three electric motors (one on the front axle and two on the rear), the combined power of the rear thrusters being 1,300 hp.

On paper, the Performance should be able to far exceed the performance of the Dream Edition, which is capable of doing 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds, with a top speed of 270 km / h. Possibly the sportiest variant is able to lower this time to less than 2 seconds, increasing the top speed to more than 350 km / h (Lucid has already reached 378 km / h with a prototype).

The power of this future version has now been demonstrated during its development tests at the Laguna Seca circuit, where it has been able to exceed the record achieved by the Model S Plaid: while the Tesla completed a lap in 1: 41,670, the Lucid was able to stop the clock in just 1: 36,555. If we take into account that the absolute record for road cars is held by the radical supercar McLaren Senna with a time of 1: 27.620 and that the Lucid Air is still a heavy luxury saloon, its monstrous figures become even more significant.