Lucid Motors all-electric Air sedan will have 517 mile range

[Mike Mercury]

The Newark, California-based startup announced that its forthcoming all-electric sedan, the Lucid Air, will have an eye-popping range of 517 miles. That means that when the Air eventually goes on sale — a production version is expected to make its debut in September, but customer deliveries aren’t scheduled until early 2021 — Lucid claims it will be “the longest range electric vehicle to date.”

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/2...ange-517-miles



Currently, that title is held by the aptly named Tesla Model S Long Range, which can travel an Environmental Protection Agency-certified distance of 402 miles on a single charge. Most electric vehicles on the market today have a range that falls between 200-300 miles, while some have less than that. The upcoming crop of EVs is aiming to have a range of 300-400 miles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the next-generation Tesla Roadster, which is expected to go into production in 2021, will have a range of 620 miles. Tesla has also promised 500 miles of range for its Semi trucks, though the 18-wheeler has yet to enter production.

So it would be a pretty big feather in its cap for Lucid Motors; the Air will outmatch Tesla in terms of interior luxury, accelerate from zero to 60mph in 2.5 seconds, and start at more than $100,000.

The company said that the Air’s “independent range verification” was done by a company called FEV North America, an automotive powertrain and engineering company based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. FEV works in the design and development of engines, and it provides testing and instrumentation to auto manufacturers. The company’s verification process “closely follows” the EPA’s standard testing procedure, Lucid says.

Electric vehicle range is typically determined independently by the EPA, as well as Europe’s Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). WLTP estimates are typically more optimistic than the EPA.

Lucid was planning to unveil the Air at the New York International Auto Show in April, but that event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the company has been releasing tidbits of information about the all-electric sedan as it builds to a virtual unveiling event in September. It published photos of its factory under construction in Arizona and released videos of the Air being put through winter testing as well as making the 400-mile journey between San Francisco and Los Angeles on a single charge. The company also released details about its LIDAR-powered advanced driver assist system, DreamDrive.

The Verge first got to experience the Air in prototype form in 2016. Like many other EV startups, Lucid Motors almost ran out of money as it tried to bring the sedan to production, and it took on loans from a hedge fund and a Chinese bus company to stay afloat, as The Verge previously reported. The company ultimately received a massive $1 billion lifeline from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund just a few weeks before the Kingdom had Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed.

[Steve_R]

$100k+ base price? That rules out most potential buyers. Smart move.

[Mike Mercury]

there's two main issues with all electric vehicles:

* distance on a full charge
* amount of time it takes to "refill the tank"

500 miles on a single charge takes care of one of the two.

[ToolMaker]

Originally Posted by Mike Mercury

there's two main issues with all electric vehicles:

* distance on a full charge
* amount of time it takes to "refill the tank"

500 miles on a single charge takes care of one of the two.

How do they fair during winter driving in the snow belt?

[snide]

Originally Posted by Mike Mercury

there's two main issues with all electric vehicles:

* distance on a full charge
* amount of time it takes to "refill the tank"

500 miles on a single charge takes care of one of the two.

Can you replace the battery, like you can on most Android phones?

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by ToolMaker

How do they fair during winter driving in the snow belt?

Especially since the typical car will take an easy 1200 watt heater....so drawing 100 amps for a typical 12 volt car......SO I ASSume that batt voltages in these cars is flyin hi say at least 48 volts and probably closer to 96 volts..... so that would be only ~30 amps.....plus blower motor at a min of 5 amp draw....

I ain't EVEN going to guess on a/c for Floriduh summerz.....

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Especially since the typical car will take an easy 1200 watt heater....so drawing 100 amps for a typical 12 volt car......SO I ASSume that batt voltages in these cars is flyin hi say at least 48 volts and probably closer to 96 volts..... so that would be only ~30 amps.....plus blower motor at a min of 5 amp draw....

I ain't EVEN going to guess on a/c for Floriduh summerz.....

Modern electric vehicles can run at a lot higher voltages than 48V, and not necessarily DC. They charge off 220V on the fast chargers, and can easily output 400 VAC to 3-phase motors if they want.

[ToolMaker]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

Modern electric vehicles can run at a lot higher voltages than 48V, and not necessarily DC. They charge off 220V on the fast chargers, and can easily output 400 VAC to 3-phase motors if they want.

What amount of capacity would the car need to hold, getting you 3 hrs home in a bad snow storm?

[Lakota]

The heater in winter conditions would be a concern for me living in New York State.

I remember that "some" VW Beetles of the 50's, 60's. 70's that were air cooled had auxillary gas heater.

a cut paste as follows, "VW Gas heater fits in the trunk vents under the dash runs an exhaust pipe out the passenger wheel ". https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c6923_ds539575

Would think something like propane that you could exchange as for gas grills would fit the bill today. Yeah, it would eat up some trunk space. Heck, maybe just use regular gasoline.

[z06psi]

When will anyone realize on the left that electric vehicles are bad for the environment?

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by snide

Can you replace the battery, like you can on most Android phones?

there's probably a Youtube video for that

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by z06psi

When will anyone realize on the left that electric vehicles are bad for the environment?

First, you'd need to get the fakey journalist news organizations (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC) to cover this aspect of it.






good luck

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by ToolMaker

What amount of capacity would the car need to hold, getting you 3 hrs home in a bad snow storm?

I have no idea, but why would you buy an electric vehicle if you need to drive in snow or cold conditions often? Doesn't make sense unless battery technology changes fairly drastically.

[MadInNc]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

I have no idea, but why would you buy an electric vehicle if you need to drive in snow or cold conditions often? Doesn't make sense unless battery technology changes fairly drastically.

Why spend $100,000 to drive in ice and snow, the worst time of the year

[ToolMaker]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

I have no idea, but why would you buy an electric vehicle if you need to drive in snow or cold conditions often? Doesn't make sense unless battery technology changes fairly drastically.

My point. I certainly do not want one, but I am reading quite a bit about the replacement of petro power within 10 yrs. It seems to me you would need to pump up the electric grid with the equivalent of the petro fuel energy first?

If this push to electric is real, why are we not constructing new nuke plants?

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by ToolMaker

If this push to electric is real, why are we not constructing new nuke plants?

Because when it comes to energy, most politicians and the public in general are absolutely useless.

[Giraffe (He/Him)]

Ever driven a Tesla? A coworker has a Model 3. Impressive things. I’d never in a million years own one I like my smog belching truck. But it is an impressive vehicle.

[Norm]

Ho hum, just another toy.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Cybercowboy

Modern electric vehicles can run at a lot higher voltages than 48V, and not necessarily DC. They charge off 220V on the fast chargers, and can easily output 400 VAC to 3-phase motors if they want.

Yeh, I forgot about that, like the solar panels on a house....SState switching nodes on each panel....

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Ever driven a Tesla?

yes, Model 3 twin motor.

A coworker has a Model 3. Impressive things. I’d never in a million years own one I like my smog belching truck. But it is an impressive vehicle.

Don't let short test drives fool ya. If AlGore were to mandate one be your daily driver... then you'd discover it's limitations and no longer be impressed.