"Next level" Lucid Air EV unveiled

As bushfire smoke cloaked San Francisco, Silicon Valley start-up Lucid Motors has launched the emissions-free battery-electric Lucid Air sedan.

Long-anticipated and much-hyped, the Lucid Air is intended “to take the electric car to the next level”, according to Lucid Motors chief executive officer and chief technical officer Peter Rawlinson.

“With the Lucid Air, we have created a halo car for the entire industry, one which shows the advancements that are possible by pushing the boundaries of EV technology and performance to new levels,” he said.

Rawlinson is a former chief engineer of the Tesla Model S and has made it clear the Lucid Air has been designed to best the iconic EV.

But the Air is only the starting point. A Lucid SUV dubbed ‘Project Gravity’ that will rival the Tesla Model X was also briefly seen today, while a third model was hinted at.

Launched on World EV Day (it’s still September 9 in the US), the Lucid Air is scheduled to go into production at a new factory in Arizona early in 2021. The SUV is set to follow in 2023.

Reservations are now open in the USA, Canada, some European countries and the Middle East starting at $US1000 ($A1375). Sadly, there is no defined timeline for Lucid to arrive in Australia.

“We don’t have concrete plans to export to Australia at this time, but it will likely be on our roadmap in the coming years,” a Lucid spokesman told carsales.

Today, Lucid confirmed the cheapest Air will be priced under $US80,000 ($A109,869) when it goes on sale in 2022.

Pricing climbs to $US95,000 ($A130,493) for the Touring on sale in the fourth quarter of 2021 and $US139,000 ($A190,933) for the Grand Touring and $US169,000 ($A232,141) that are available from the second quarter.

In the US, those prices come down a bit when the $US7500 ($A10,302) federal tax credit is taken into account.

In Australia, pricing for the Tesla Model S is priced at $124,990 for the Long Range variant or $139,990 for the Performance variant.

Much information about the Lucid Air had been revealed ahead of today’s official launch.

Most headline grabbing amongst them was a claimed 832km range between recharges certified to the tough US EPA standard, the fastest claimed DC fast-charge rate of any EV at 482km in 20 minutes and a Model S-smashing 9.9sec quarter-mile time for the top-spec 805kW dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

Lucid has also confirmed 113kWh capacity for its in-house lithium-ion battery pack, a wind-cheating 0.21 coefficient of drag (Model S claims 0.24Cd), class-leading interior and luggage space.

A key to achieving its interior efficiency is the miniaturisation and integration of the 900-volt powertrain and the size and shape of the battery pack. This is dubbed the Lucid Space Concept.

New details revealed today include a 5K 34-inch floating colour display in front of the driver that links to another screen in the centre console. This is a very different concept to the landscape touchscreen that sits proud of the dashboard in Teslas.

The Air will also come with a comprehensive safety system that incorporates Lidar (light detection and ranging). Micro Lens Array headlights and native voice Amazon Alexa integration are other features.

Lucid did not offer any specifications for the entry-level model, but it did confirm the Touring has a 653km range, a 462kW powertrain and 3.2sec 0-96km/h (60mph) acceleration time.

The Grand Touring has the maximum 832km range, a 596kW powertrain and a 3.0sec 0-60mph sprint. The Dream Edition offers a 748km range on 21-inch wheels or 809km on 19-inch wheels, the 805kW powertrain, a 2.5sec 0-60mph time and that crazy 9.9sec quarter. A tri-motor Air GT is in the works and will be even faster.

All Lucid Airs attain the maximum 300 miles/20-minute DC fast-charge rate and peak charging speed of 1200 (1931km) miles per hour.

A four-door, four- or five-seat sedan based on a skateboard chassis, the Air measures up at 4957.3mm long, 1663mm wide, 1410mm wide and has a 2960mm wheelbase. Kerb weight is not quoted.

Lucid Motors was originally established as technology company Atieva in 2007 as an EV battery and powertrain supplier.

Rawlinson joined in 2013 as the CTO and became CEO in 2019. Another key player at Lucid is former Mazda designer Derek Jenkins.

The company rebranded as Lucid in October 2016 and announced its ambition to build its own vehicles. Atieva remains as its technology division and has supplied batteries to the Formula E international racing series since 2018.

Crucial additional funding was secured from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia in 2019, which now owns 67 per cent of Lucid Motors.

More than $US1 billion ($A1.37b) has been supplied to complete development of the Air and first-phase construction of an assembly plant that will eventually be able to build 380,000 vehicles per year.