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Lucid EV's range approaches 830 km, besting Tesla, independent tests show

A real-world drive in a convoy puts the new Air miles ahead of its Model S and Porsche Taycan rivals

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In a world full of electric vehicle buzz and startup hype, range anxiety remains a key reason why consumers hesitate to make the switch.

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For those holdouts, Lucid Motors has just laid a serious hand on the table Tuesday, announcing a battery that can produce 517 miles (832 km) on a single charge. That’s enough juice to get you, theoretically, from New York to Cleveland, Ohio.

The average range for electric cars released in 2019 was around 183 miles (295 km), according to Bloomberg, and is due to rise to around 235 miles (378 km) for this year’s models. (Electric vehicles account for 2 per cent of global vehicle sales.)

Yet, without handing over a single car to a customer, Lucid has achieved an industry-leading number capable of more than 100 miles (160 km) above the longest-range Tesla Model S; and 300 miles (483 km) more than Porsche’s best offering, the Taycan.

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Lucid Motors’ path has been long and less than straightforward. The company was founded in 2007 under the name Atieva and spent years being more focused on battery technology than pursuing development of a luxury car. It pivoted in 2016, changed its name to Lucid, and began work on what would become the Air.

In September 2018, Lucid raised more than US$1 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment fund, an injection of cash that helped clear a path through to production. Since then it’s been building a factory in Arizona and hiring experienced executives from the world’s leading automakers; Peter Rawlinson, Lucid’s chief executive officer, was previously chief engineer on the Model S.

The 517-mile range was validated by reputable German engineering consultant FEV North America Inc. The firm tested the Air at a lab in Auburn Hills, Michigan under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, which is the benchmark buyers use to compare the range of one EV with that of another.

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But testing an electric vehicle on a laboratory dynamometer is very different from driving it on U.S. roads. In general, the real-world efficiency for an EV is around 20 per cent lower than its rating. Rather than take Lucid or FEV’s word, I decided to test it myself.

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Because this was a pre-production version of the Air, however, I wasn’t allowed to drive, so it was less of a “test-drive” than a “test-ride.”

To make it impartial, we also took out a Tesla Model S Long Range Plus – the first 400-mile (643-km) consumer EV – and a Porsche Taycan Turbo S. Both were driven by Lucid engineers. Each is the latest model available to buy.

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The objective was simple: Drive all three vehicles on a single charge, in convoy, until the batteries hit zero, and then see which went farthest.

We put in place a number of controls across all three vehicles. I confirmed all started with a fully charged battery, according to the readings on their instrument clusters. Driving in close convoy, all three drivers maintained an average speed of 70 miles an hour (112 km/h) on the freeway, accelerating or slowing only to account for traffic or safety.

The Porsche ran its battery to zero first. While a third-place finish wasn’t a surprise, given the car’s EPA-estimated range, the Taycan recorded an admirable 236 miles (380 km) before the battery warning system turned from yellow to red.

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Eventually the Tesla’s driver pulled over. The Model S was displaying a battery warning on its main console, and the battery display showed 2 per cent. I got in the back and off we went, doing lap after lap until, after 355 miles (571 km), the Tesla could not proceed at any better than a snail’s pace.

At this point, the Lucid Air still had a 20-per-cent state of charge. Finally, after more than eight hours of driving, the Lucid crawled (literally) into the company’s driveway after 456 miles (734 km) on a single charge.

The company says the Air will cost around $150,000 but has yet to announce final pricing. While Lucid plans to introduce more affordable models, it is focused for the time being on a high-end product that can outperform its peers.

Limited production is scheduled to start in Arizona at the end of this year, but the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has set the company back by two to three months. The final specs and design of the Lucid Air are due to be unveiled at an event in September. Executives say customers can now expect delivery of the first batch of Airs in spring 2021.

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