Lucid Air beats Tesla Model S with insane 9.9-second quarter-mile

[TruckElectric]

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Lucid Motors has released a new video of its Air electric sedan beating the Tesla Model S on a quarter-mile run with an insanely impressive 9.9-second time.

Lucid Motors is preparing to launch its highly anticipated Air electric sedan next week.
The electric car has been in the works for years, and it is getting a lot of hype lately, thanks to the third-party test results of the EPA range test putting the luxury sedan’s range at 517 miles on a single charge.
The automaker has been gradually releasing information, like the previously mentioned range, but also some impressive charging capacity and battery pack architecture.
In another release leading up to the unveiling, Lucid now confirms that the first version of the Air, the Lucid Air Dream Edition, is able to complete the quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds

They shared a video of the Air production prototype beating the Tesla Model S Performance:




Lucid wrote in the release:

With up to 1,080 horsepower available in a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive package, the Lucid Air Dream Edition has achieved quarter-mile times as low as 9.9 seconds on a consistent basis, making it the world’s quickest production sedan. This performance is wrapped in an uncompromisingly luxurious package, offering room for five passengers with class-leading interior and storage space.

Along with the announcement, Lucid has unveiled some of the technology enabling that.

Among the most impressive parts of Lucid’s powertrain, there are the drive unit and inverter that can deliver 650 hp in a very small package:

Lucid’s line of powerful, compact, and ultra-efficient motors are combined with an integrated transmission and differential, as well as our high voltage, silicon-carbide MOSFET inverter, to create a state-of-the-art electric drive unit. Each unit packs over 650hp and can spin to 20,000RPM, yet weighs only 163lb (74kg) and is small enough to fit inside a standard airplane carry-on bag.

Lucid shared two images of the drive unit and inverter:

They also shared an image of their “Wonderbox,” which is their bi-directional 19 kW charger:

Finally, here’s an image of the Lucid Air’s battery pack, which was designed by leveraging years of development on Lucid Motors’ Formula E battery pack:

The Lucid Air production version is going to be unveiled in full on September 9

Electrek’s Take
I saw a preview of the vehicle earlier this week and unfortunately, I cannot discuss it beyond what was released today until the actual unveiling, but I can tell you that I was quite impressed.

Lucid has some really compact and powerfull EV technology.

You should pay particular attention to the drive unit. Those kind of specs in that kind of package is several times better than the next-best technology on the market right now.


Source: ELECTREK

 

[Ehninger1212]

Lucid has got to be the only other EV company i would bet on right now, they have had a very slow development though. I cant wait to see the final product on the 9th! Gonna be Big $ though.

 

[Sirfun]

My first reaction is, there's an arms race going on here. My next thought is, there is a sweet spot, tipping point for everything in this world. That seems beyond the tipping point. Actually I have felt for awhile that Tesla may be taking things to far with 2.3 sec. 0-60. 9.9 is STUPID fast! 144mph in a quarter mile with a production luxury sedan? This means any Joe Average or Jane, with no skills, can plop down the cash and have a vehicle that can launch them to infinity and beyond on a public street! My age must be getting the best of me, because I used to play race with vehicles, but this really does seem LUDICROUS!

 

[myco.rrhizae]

WOW!!
Lo and behold ladies, gentlemen and nonbinary!
We have what seems to be a real electric car company up and coming!
I like what I see!!!

 

[TruckElectric]

Comparison of a Volvo D16C610 Diesel engine and the Lucid Air Motor(s) total 4 - HP and Torque output/weights.



Volvo D16CC610 - 610 hp(449 kW) 2065 lb-ft(2800 Nm) torque. Weight 2800 lb(1270 kg) Note: got this off of Volvo specifications so it's probably dry weight


Lucid Air Motor(s) total 4 - 650 hp(500 kW) 2950 lb-ft(4000 Nm) torque. Weight 163 lb(74kg)/drive unit - total 2 drive units. Both drive units together weigh 326 lb(148 kg)


No weight given on Lucid Air battery pack.

 

[CybrTrkWdWk]

Nice to see someone finally giving Tesla some real competition! Of course the speed is crazy, but for that price you are paying for bragging rights so it better be damn fast, otherwise just buy a Tesla. Hopefully they are successful and produce more affordable cars in the not too distant future.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

My first reaction is, there's an arms race going on here. My next thought is, there is a sweet spot, tipping point for everything in this world. That seems beyond the tipping point. Actually I have felt for awhile that Tesla may be taking things to far with 2.3 sec. 0-60. 9.9 is STUPID fast! 144mph in a quarter mile with a production luxury sedan? This means any Joe Average or Jane, with no skills, can plop down the cash and have a vehicle that can launch them to infinity and beyond on a public street! My age must be getting the best of me, because I used to play race with vehicles, but this really does seem LUDICROUS!

I hate the phrase, but I REALLY want to say, “OK, boomer.” ? (I resemble that remark.)
Aren’t you surfer dudes supposed to be, like, chill?

Think about it. When you or I were 16 it only took a guy with his dad’s tools and garage, who flipped burgers, to afford to fix up an old V8 jalopy into something that would beat most cop cars of the time. The difference here is that Tesla’s are engineered for safety whereas that ‘32 Ford hot rod was a death trap.

 

[Sirfun]

I hate the phrase, but I REALLY want to say, “OK, boomer.” ? (I resemble that remark.)
Aren’t you surfer dudes supposed to be, like, chill?

Think about it. When you or I were 16 it only took a guy with his dad’s tools and garage, who flipped burgers, to afford to fix up an old V8 jalopy into something that would beat most cop cars of the time. The difference here is that Tesla’s are engineered for safety whereas that ‘32 Ford hot rod was a death trap.

LOL, yeah I'll never forget the time A guy tried to talk me into walking a beam 40' up, to put sheet metal flashings on a roof. "oh come on dude, you're a surfer you can do it no problem".
You are totally correct though, I've got lot's of experience at doing dumb stuff and somehow living to tell the tales. Actually I think that's part of the problem. Us boomers have driven fast cars without all the safety features like traction control, and know how easy it is, to get over your head. Think about all the videos on YouTube of people crashing supercars. Even with traction control it's easy to F up.
BTW, the scariest car I drove was a 70 Mustang Boss 429. That car was a handful on wet pavement.

 

[ÆCIII]

Nice to see someone finally giving Tesla some real competition! Of course the speed is crazy, but for that price you are paying for bragging rights so it better be damn fast, otherwise just buy a Tesla. Hopefully they are successful and produce more affordable cars in the not too distant future.

Healthy competition of this nature is a win-win for the end consumer. But Lucid has had a sort of an 'inside' advantage though, with the knowledge and experience of the former Tesla chief engineer Peter Rawlinson since 2013, who actually had been involved with earlier development of the Model S while he was still at Tesla. Adding to that an infusion of strong financial support from Saudi Arabia, it's really no surprise they would be able to produce something like the Lucid Air by now having had this much time.

However it seems like a very expensive offering, with some sources saying it will start in the 60 K range, while this Verge article mentions the initial units will be priced over 100K:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/23/...ef-engineer-ev-startup-lucid-motors-rawlinson

I find it somewhat ironic that Saudi Arabia, an oil-sustained nation, would offer an EV company like Lucid strong support, but we also can remember that oil is no only used for fuel, but also for a myriad of chemicals, plastics, elastics, resins for producing many other products. But I haven't heard of Saudi Arabia offering other EV companies such financial support, so my curiosity is 'why Lucid' and 'why now'?

I'm also curious about what Lucid will exemplify or declare as their long term mission - are they striving to increase sustainable transport? or are they just about 'one-upping' Tesla at this point? Are they going to be offering a more mainstream affordable car in the future? In the short term it doesn't matter, as their product seems awesome.

But I'm also interested in how their new generation compact drive unit will hold up over time. Are they going to say it's rated for a million miles like the Tesla drive units? Concerning their battery tech, it's obvious their range specs are impressive, but will they give a formal specification or rating for how many cycles their battery can charge/discharge to endure, or how many years/miles will their battery warranty be? How will their BMS increase battery life and how will cold weather affect their battery performance? Considering a former Tesla engineer has been involved in their development, it's likely these factors will not disappoint, but we want to see them in some kind formalized or certified specifications nonetheless.

Ultimately we want Lucid to succeed, but maybe some of us also want to know 'who' will Lucid be succeeding for, the general public or masses (and environment), or just for the rich or elites? Either way, their technology will also help push and motivate Tesla to stay on top of their game and continuously improve their technology as well, so again, that is going to be a 'win-win' for everyone.

 

[Ehninger1212]

LOL, yeah I'll never forget the time A guy tried to talk me into walking a beam 40' up, to put sheet metal flashings on a roof. "oh come on dude, you're a surfer you can do it no problem".
You are totally correct though, I've got lot's of experience at doing dumb stuff and somehow living to tell the tales. Actually I think that's part of the problem. Us boomers have driven fast cars without all the safety features like traction control, and know how easy it is, to get over your head. Think about all the videos on YouTube of people crashing supercars. Even with traction control it's easy to F up.
BTW, the scariest car I drove was a 70 Mustang Boss 429. That car was a handful on wet pavement.

Shoot.. those cars are a handful on DRY pavement! Back then you had all that power and not a single computer helping out!

 

[CostcoSamples]

It’s just a prototype with tons of hype. In all likelihood the production version will be quite different, if it ever actually goes to production.

To be fair CT is in the same boat, except that Tesla has a great track record and factory under construction.

 

[Crissa]

Lucid probably won't be able to match Tesla's price points, but it's nice to see something get built.

Saudi Arabia is also the largest installer of solar... or has been. They know oil won't last forever. Which is why nations like Qatar and the UAE are getting into finance and building as much as possible before prices crash.

The Saudi Sovereign Fund was also the source of the monies that Elon announced they were in negotiations with to take Tesla private. The deal fell through, ut the fact they immediately next invested so heavily in Lucid is proof of their intent.

-Crissa

 

[CyberMoose]

I think I read that Lucid air is estimated to start at $150000. It's definity a luxury brand and they will probably be rare to see.

 

[Sirfun]

The Saudi Sovereign Fund was also the source of the monies that Elon announced they were in negotiations with to take Tesla private. The deal fell through, ut the fact they immediately next invested so heavily in Lucid is proof of their intent.

-Crissa

I'm curious what you think their intent is. Sometimes, people/corporations buy tech only to shelve it, or for control. BTW, I once worked at a think tank that was owned by a consortium that spent hundreds of millions annually and never produced any products.
And I'm extremely glad that deal with Tesla didn't happen.

 

[Crissa]

I'm curious what you think their intent is.

Their intent was to buy into a car company.

That's intent enough for the purposes of Elon's announcement.

What do I think they want for their investment, you ask? Well, the investment in solar I think tells itself. They want to have cars and modern amenities when oil energy supply is constrained either by extraction costs or carbon taxes.

-Crissa