Lucid Air Gets An EPA Estimated 520 Miles of Range

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Range anxiety is a real thing. Most electric vehicles on the market offer around 250 miles of range, which sounds like it would be enough, but somehow it isn't for the majority of American drivers. Tesla stunned the industry when it managed to squeeze 405 miles of range out of the Model S sedan. The vehicle became the benchmark of all-electric cars with the most range on the market. Now, that figure seems far less impressive when you hear that another automaker has broken the 500-mile mark.

Lucid Sets The Mark

Lucid has been claiming that its all-electric Air sedan would be able to travel 500 miles on a single charge, but didn't have any real numbers to back the claim up. Now, the EPA has released its official fuel economy figures for the air and the vehicle manages to surpass the brand's initial estimates. The Lucid Air Dream Edition R, which is a mouthful, will be rated at a mega 520 miles of range. That's 115 miles more than Model S Long Range.

If you want to travel 520 miles, you have to get the Lucid Air Dream Edition R with 19-inch wheels and be willing to pay $169,000. The available 21-inch wheels drop range to 481 miles, but that's still more than anything else on the market. While the Air Dream Edition R isn't the most powerful or performance-oriented model in the Air lineup, it still offers an impressive 933 horsepower.

The high-performance Lucid Air Dream P, with the P standing for Performance, boasts 1,111 horsepower and can travel 471 miles with 19-inch wheels. Going with the 21-inch wheels reduces range to 451 miles. That's not bad for a performance-oriented electric car with hypercar levels of power.

All Trims Are Impressive

The EPA also tested the Air's Grand Touring models, which aren't as upscale, expensive, or exclusive as the Dream Editions, but are more affordable. The Grand Touring with the 19-inch wheels can travel up to 516 miles on a single charge, while the model with the 21-inch wheels offers up to 469 miles of range. The Grand Touring trims have an 800-horsepower powertrain.

In other words, either the way you cut it, the Lucid Air is the new king of EVs. Compared to its closest rival, the Model S Long Range, it blows the other sedan out of the water. The Tesla has a 100-kWh battery pack that's good for 405 miles of range and 670 horsepower. The Model S Plaid is rated at 396 miles of range and features 1,020 horsepower. How Lucid managed to pull this off is staggering.

The Lucid Air becomes the first EV that the EPA has tested that has over 500 miles of range. If it doesn't help break the issue with range anxiety, we don't know what will. Unfortunately, Lucid actually hasn't delivered any Air sedans yet. Deliveries of the vehicle were supposed to start before the end of the year, but we haven't heard anything yet.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods