The executive director of Lucid, Peter Rawlinson, has stated in a recent interview that the brand can overcome Tesla in autonomy and efficiency, the current market reference in both sections. “Tesla uses 400 volts. Porsche presents an 800-volt system. We are going to have a system of more than 900 volts.”
According to the executive, the new system of more than 900 volts that Lucid Air will have will allow it to surpass Tesla models. Rawlinson confirmed that the brand currently has a prototype capable of reaching 644 km EPA of autonomy. However, the production version will have a more efficient powertrain that will allow it to increase its reach significantly.
According to Rawlinson, the Lucid Air could be able to travel up to 8 kilometers per kWh consumed. This would place it ahead of the Tesla Model 3 at the efficiency level. Although it was initially planned that the top-of-the-range version of the model would have a 130 kWh capacity pack, thanks to its better efficiency, it will finally use a smaller battery.
Initially, Lucid will only sell the most expensive versions of the Air (which will have a starting price of about 100,000 dollars). However, it is planned that later more economical ones will be added (initially, the access variant should be around 60,000 dollars). Lucid is currently installing the roof of it’s new factory, and soon the construction of the Air production lines will begin. In parallel, the firm is building 80 pre-production prototypes.