Even though both cars are electric sedans with a tri-motor setup trying to nail the quickest time around Laguna Seca, we still feel as though we're comparing apples to oranges, and there's a perfectly valid reason why.
During last week's Battery Day, Tesla announced its upcoming Model S Plaid could lap the famous Californian circuit in just 1:30.3, trumping the already impressive time of 1:33 the Lucid Air had supposedly achieved only a few days before. Soon after, we also got the complete on-board footage of the record lap, leaving no doubt over the validity of the claim.
Yesterday, Lucid Motors fought back - get used to this back-and-forth between these two because we get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot of it over the coming months - by releasing a similar clip featuring its car's "personal best" around Laguna Seca. The Air didn't manage to beat the Model S' time, but it came within just one second, which should be close enough to put some pressure on Tesla.
However, the two laps have been made under different conditions. One thing both vehicles have in common is that they're still in the pre-production phase, so it's not very clear what is going to be "stock" and what isn't. Other than that, there are more things setting the two efforts apart than bringing them together.
One favorable aspect for Tesla is that Lucid ran a stripped-down car with no interior, which means a drop in weight compared to the actual production car. They also used "wider than stock" wheels, though the tires were completely road legal. All this makes it difficult to gauge just how much differently a stock Lucid Air is going to perform, but it sure seems to tilt the balance in Tesla's favor.
Not only is the Model S Plaid still one full second quicker, but it also allegedly ran completely stock. However, there's one discrepancy between the two attempts which we think is going to make the difference in the end: Tesla used a pro driver, whereas Lucid had one of its staff behind the wheel.
Our guess is that Lucid is keeping its cards close to its chest for now and will wait until closer to the vehicle's commercial release for the final blow. Of course, that's nothing more than speculation. However, just by watching the clip and without knowing any details, we immediately thought "this isn't a professional driver."
If it's that obvious that even an amateur can spot it, then the impact of having somebody experienced at the wheel should easily offset the added weight of a full interior. Besides, this car has over 1,000 hp and probably an obscene amount of torque, so a few extra pounds won't matter that much.
If this rivalry seems exciting, allow us to pour some gasoline on the fire (or whatever the EV equivalent of the idiom is): imagine if Porsche joined the tri-motor craze as well. At the moment, it doesn't look like happening, especially since the Taycan Turbo S already has a very heavy powertrain due in part to the two-speed transmission, but we wouldn't put it past the Germans to disrupt the two American companies sometime in the future.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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