Tesla rival Lucid Motors unveils 'Air' electric sedan with 500-mile range
New sedan can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds.
Lucid Motors unveiled the design for its first-ever electric sedan, the Lucid Air, on Wednesday, setting up a potential future showdown with industry leader Tesla.
Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson, a former Tesla engineering executive, unveiled the vehicle at a virtual event from the company’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. Touted as the “world’s most powerful and efficient luxury electric sedan,” the Lucid Air can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds, with an estimated range of more than 500 miles per charge.
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“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,” Rawlinson said in a statement.
The company expects to begin deliveries of the all-electric vehicle in the spring of 2021. Multiple models are available for sale, with prices ranging from roughly $80,000 for the entry-level version to up to $169,000 for the limited-volume Lucid Air Dream Edition.
Other promised features include battery charging described as the fastest “ever offered” for an electric vehicle, more than 1,000 horsepower, a streamlined interior design and best-in-class front trunk space.
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Prior to joining Lucid, Rawlinson served as chief engineer on the Tesla Model S. In a tweet earlier this week ahead of Lucid’s unveiling event, Tesla CEO Elon Musk downplayed Rawlinson’s contributions during his tenure with the company.
“Rawlinson didn’t design Model S,” Musk wrote. “Prototype was done before he joined & he left us in the lurch just as things got tough, which was not cool. He did make some contributions to body/chassis engineering, but not to powertrain, battery, electronics or software.”
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Tesla remains the dominant player in the electric vehicle marketplace. Company shares have surged so far this year, pushing Tesla’s market capitalization north of $340 billion as of Wednesday afternoon.