Photo: Lucid
There are presently enough electric vehicles in the world to allow us to make various kinds of classifications, to compare them in our quest to make the best decision about our next car. Most of the time, the criteria we use are personal, but there are more pragmatic things to consider as well.
If such a personal criterion as money is not an issue, and a person resides in the U.S., then the Lucid Air family of vehicles is probably at the top of many buyers' shopping lists. And with the series of upgrades announced this week for one of the models in the range, the Air becomes even more enticing.
Lucid is selling the Air at the time of writing in four versions, namely the Pure, Touring, Grand Touring (GT), and Sapphire. The entry-level is, naturally, the Pure, going for a very affordable (for an EV) $69,900 and promising 419 miles (674 km) of driving range and a top power of 430 hp.
The Touring ups the power levels to a much more impressive 620 hp, and throws in about the same maximum range (411 miles / 661 km) for $77,900.
At the top of the Lucid Air food chain sits the three-motor Sapphire, a beast of an EV capable of delivering a top power of 1,234 hp and a slightly larger range than the other two, 427 miles (687 km). The price for this one matches its capabilities, as it's set at a staggering $249,000.
But if you're really interested in a Lucid Air with more range and less power, you could easily get your hands on a model that's more than half the price, but is also recognized as the only EV in America to have an EPA-estimated range of over 500 miles – that would be exactly 516 miles (830 km), even under the more stringent testing procedures of the agency that should have technically shaved off some miles.
The model I'm talking about is the GT, of course, the one sitting just under the Sapphire in the Air lineup. Sure, it does offer significantly less power than its more capable sibling (819 horsepower), but it just got some Sapphire-grade upgrades for the new model year that kind of make you forget all about the lesser power levels.
More to the point Lucid announced today the GT is getting the heat pump from the Sapphire, but it is also at the receiving end of upgrades to the motor, battery cell chemistry, and thermal characteristics.
All of the above is helping the GT achieve up to 30 percent faster charging times than before, meaning it now needs just 12 minutes to add 200 miles (322 km) of range, the fastest time of the entire Air range. To make sure that's achievable, Lucid also tampered with the vehicle's automatic preconditioning, something that gets it ready for charging.
With all the above upgrades, the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring now has a starting price of $109,900, not including tax, title, license, options, destination and documentation fees.
Lucid is selling the Air at the time of writing in four versions, namely the Pure, Touring, Grand Touring (GT), and Sapphire. The entry-level is, naturally, the Pure, going for a very affordable (for an EV) $69,900 and promising 419 miles (674 km) of driving range and a top power of 430 hp.
The Touring ups the power levels to a much more impressive 620 hp, and throws in about the same maximum range (411 miles / 661 km) for $77,900.
At the top of the Lucid Air food chain sits the three-motor Sapphire, a beast of an EV capable of delivering a top power of 1,234 hp and a slightly larger range than the other two, 427 miles (687 km). The price for this one matches its capabilities, as it's set at a staggering $249,000.
But if you're really interested in a Lucid Air with more range and less power, you could easily get your hands on a model that's more than half the price, but is also recognized as the only EV in America to have an EPA-estimated range of over 500 miles – that would be exactly 516 miles (830 km), even under the more stringent testing procedures of the agency that should have technically shaved off some miles.
The model I'm talking about is the GT, of course, the one sitting just under the Sapphire in the Air lineup. Sure, it does offer significantly less power than its more capable sibling (819 horsepower), but it just got some Sapphire-grade upgrades for the new model year that kind of make you forget all about the lesser power levels.
More to the point Lucid announced today the GT is getting the heat pump from the Sapphire, but it is also at the receiving end of upgrades to the motor, battery cell chemistry, and thermal characteristics.
All of the above is helping the GT achieve up to 30 percent faster charging times than before, meaning it now needs just 12 minutes to add 200 miles (322 km) of range, the fastest time of the entire Air range. To make sure that's achievable, Lucid also tampered with the vehicle's automatic preconditioning, something that gets it ready for charging.
With all the above upgrades, the 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring now has a starting price of $109,900, not including tax, title, license, options, destination and documentation fees.
Google News