ELON'S NIGHTMARE?

LUCID MOTORS’ ALL-ELECTRIC FIRST CAR IS ABSOLUTELY A THREAT TO TESLA AND OTHER LUXURY AUTOMAKERS

- JONNY LIEBERMAN

The 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition R is a 966-hp electric luxury sedan that can drive 481–520 EPA-certified miles on a single charge. I witnessed and experienced the latter firsthand. The former? Not so much, but you’ll need to keep reading.

There’s also an Air Dream Edition P (P stands for Performance; R means Range) that makes 1,111 hp and offers a range of 451–471 miles. Now get this—they cost the same price. So, you choose: Do you want a sleek-looking EV with nearly 100 hp more than the Tesla Model S Plaid? Or do you want the car that makes more horsepower than any Lamborghini ever made, beats the Tesla Model S Long Range at its own game by more than 100 miles, and puts the very notion of range anxiety out to pasture? I won’t be much help answering that question, as I only drove the R. However, as the first person not on Lucid’s payroll to drive any Air, I discovered plenty to talk about.

Lucid’s CEO/CTO is a Welshman named Peter Rawlinson, who showed up to our drive wearing racing boots. He was previously Lotus's chief engineer as well as chief engineer for the Tesla Model S. Rawlinson’s ideal car rides like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and drives like a Lotus. He strongly feels the key to electric cars is the miniaturization of their parts. The original Tesla Model S P85 rear-drive unit weighs 295 pounds and produces about 416 horsepower, for a power density of 1.41 hp per pound. The Air uses the same motor (not the same as Tesla, to be clear) front and rear; each weighs 163 pounds yet can produce 670horsepower and spins at 20,000 rpm for a power density of 4.11 hp per pound. That’s nearly three times better. Also, unlike Tesla, Lucid bothered to put a proper interior in its car.