Outlandish claims from startup electric vehicle companies are becoming increasingly common. Wild range estimates, world-beating horsepower, and futuristic tech are all fair game for the EV world these days, but a few companies are delivering on the hype.
Lucid is one of them, as it had laid out unbelievable range estimates for its first electric car, the Lucid Air sedan.
The claimed ranges for the car, which extend to 520 miles on a single charge, have now been verified by the EPA, making the Air the longest-range EV ever tested by the agency.
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It estimates 520 miles of range for the car, confirming the fantastical claims coming from the automaker's PR team.
The limited Air Dream Edition - one of the fastest accelerating electric cars in the world - outlasts the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus by over 100 miles and doubles the range of many other EVs.
Different trims deliver different range estimates, all of which exceed 450 miles, but it's important to note that the EPA rating system tests under ideal conditions. That means that while it's possible to achieve those range numbers, real-world delivery is likely to be slightly lower.
Analysis: long range you can drive, if you're rich enough
The Lucid Air has just begun making its way into the hands of journalists for initial driving impressions, so it will be some time before anyone puts a production model to the test.
Lucid says that it has already finished more than 100 production-quality cars, which means there's a good chance that the company will hit its target of delivering the first customer cars later in 2021.
All of that is impressive, but we're again talking about an ultra-expensive premium EV.
Lucid has made no bones about the fact that capability comes at a price, and though a cheaper version of the car will come at some point in 2022, the version on sale now carries a boutique price.
The Air Dream Edition starts at $169,000 (around £123,000, AU$230,000), putting it out of reach for all but the most well-heeled buyers and into the leagues of vehicles like the Porsche Taycan Turbo, at least in terms of starting price.
Even so, buyers willing and able to shell out for that kind of car will get something exceptional.
Early buyers also shoulder the burden of funding subsequent cars that Lucid wants to make, so it's a good thing that the automaker already has well over 10,000 reservations for the Air.
Via Yahoo
