Lucid Air price, specs, availability for the hottest luxury Tesla rival
The new Lucid Air sedan is a well-reviewed luxury EV that might be the biggest Tesla competitor yet
The Lucid Air is one of a handful of new electric cars from an EV startup that’s actually gone on sale. Lucid is a brand new car company and this is its first car, and it joins Rivian as the only startup to have its EVs generally available (although in very limited quantities).
With an astonishing EPA-estimated range of 520 miles on a charge and a maximum horsepower of over 1,111 hp, the Air is by far the longest-range and one of the fastest EVs ever made, with the Lucid Air Dream Edition good for an extra 115 miles of range over the Tesla Model S Long Range’s EPA-estimated 405 miles of range.
Competing with Tesla and other luxury EV sedans like the BMW i4 and the Porsche Taycan, the Air starts at $77,400, and rises quickly from there. The long-range Air Grand Touring (up to 516 miles of EPA-estimated range) starts at $139,000.
The Lucid Air won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award for 2021, only the second time an EV has won the prestigious prize (the other was the Chevy Bolt EV in 2017), and the Air has been well-received by critics.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Lucid Air, from price and specs to range and charging time. Oh, and how you can buy one, too.
This story is developing and this report will be updated as more information becomes available.
Is the Lucid Air available?
Unlike some futuristic electric car designs, the Lucid Air has a modern but typical interior design.
Lucid began shipping small numbers of Air vehicles in 2021, delivering some 125 cars by the end of the year. As of February 28, 2022, 400 had been made with more than 300 delivered according to a company earnings release.
The company said it plans to produce 12,000-14,000 vehicles in 2022. With 25,000 customer reservations outstanding, it’ll likely be well over a year before new orders can be fulfilled.
What’s the price of the Lucid Air?
There are a number of different trim levels for the Air, with wildly differing prices depending on features and better size:
- Air Dream Edition (Sold out) - $169,000
- Air Grand Touring - $139,000
- Air Touring - $95,000
- Air Pure - $77,400
Lucid’s CEO told Reuters that price increases are likely coming due to inflationary pressures. However, the company has learned from Rivian’s recent price increase fiasco and says that it will keep pricing the same for current reservation holders.
All versions of the Air are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit and some potential state tax credits as well.
What’s the Lucid Air range?
Lucid says the slippery Air has a drag coefficient of just 0.21, one of the lowest in the car industry.
A number of Lucid Air models have been certified by the EPA, with ranges affected by battery size, trim, and different tire and wheel packages.
- Lucid Air Dream Range with 19-inch wheels - 520 miles
- Lucid Air Dream Range with 21-inch wheels - 481 miles
- Lucid Air Dream Performance with 19-inch wheels - 471 miles
- Lucid Air Dream Performance with 21-inch wheels - 451 miles
- Lucid Air Grand Touring with 19-inch wheels - 516 miles
- Lucid Air Grand Touring with 21-inch wheels - 469 miles
The base Air Pure and Air Touring trims, which are not yet available, should rate around 406 miles of range according to Lucid.
What’s the Lucid Air charge time and speed
The Air uses a 900-volt architecture which allows for very rapid recharging of its battery pack. Lucid says it’ll charge more “miles of energy per hour” than any other EV, filling up to 300 miles in 20 minutes.
InsideEvs testing showed a Lucid Air exceed 300 kW briefly at a 350 kW charging station, the first time the site has seen an EV exceed that benchmark. At that high-speed 350 kW charging station, the car added 200 miles of range in 12 minutes, and 400 miles of range in 37 minutes. Curiously, at a 150 kW charger, those two benchmarks only took 18 and 43 minutes respectively, meaning there is not as much variance between 350 and 150 kW charging stations as one might think. Much of this is thanks to the intentional ramping down of charge speed as the battery pack charges up.
The Air uses a standard CCS DC fast-charging port for high-speed charging up to 300 kW when on a road trip, Level 2 charging at home or work, and it can plug into a home power outlet for very low-speed, emergency charging. U.S. buyers of the Lucid Air will receive three years of free fast charging at Electrify America charging stations.
What’s the Lucid Air horsepower and torque?
The Air is well-named, with an enormous windshield that extends behind the driver’s head, like the windshield on Tesla’s Model X SUV. The result is an extremely airy, open feel to the cockpit.
There are a few different options depending on how which version of the Air you buy — and how much you want to spend.
- Air Pure - 480 horsepower
- Air Touring - 620 horsepower
- Air Grand Touring - 800 horsepower
- Air Dream Edition - 1,080 horsepower
Lucid doesn’t share its torque numbers, and a Lucid exec once said torque numbers are useless when it comes to electric vehicles.
What’s the Lucid Air 0 to 60 time and top speed?
Lucid says the Air Dream Performance edition will run from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds, do the quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds at 144 mph, and on to a top speed of 168 mph. These are hypercar-level acceleration numbers (though the top speed has some catching up to the fastest internal-combustion cars).
Other trims should have slower, but still impressive, acceleration.
Lucid estimates that the Air will have a maximum range of more than 500 miles, but we’ll have to wait for the official EPA estimates to come out closer to launch to know if that’s just marketing hype.
Is the Lucid Air self-driving?
Not initially. Lucid’s DreamDrive advanced driver-assist system or ADAS includes 32 different sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic, and a long-range lidar sensor.
Together, these enable automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and the company says Level 3 hands-free driving functions may become available in an over-the-air software update at a later date.
Unlike some futuristic electric car designs, the Lucid Air has a modern but typical interior design.
How can I buy the Lucid Air?
Interested buyers can place a refundable reservation deposit for a Lucid Air on the company’s website. Deposits start at $300 for the base Air Pure model, while the Air Touring and Air Grand Touring require $1,000 down. With tens of thousands of paid reservations already booked, new orders will likely not be filled until 2023 or later.
The top-tier Air Dream Edition is sold out, but there is a waitlist if you’re feeling lucky.
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