Blog Lucid Air Dream Edition Rated at 520 Miles of Range

The Environmental Protection Agency has given the upcoming Lucid Air Dream Edition a preliminary range rating of 520 miles, the first electric vehicle to cross the 500-mile mark.

Performance has been a big promise of the Lucid vehicles as it aims to be a meaningful challenger to Tesla’s flagship vehicles. Lucid’s range rating is 100 miles more than the Tesla Model S Long Range.

“I’m delighted that our Lucid Air Dream Edition Range has been officially accredited with a range of 520 miles by the EPA, a number I believe to be a new record for any EV. Crucially, this landmark has been achieved by Lucid’s world-leading in-house EV technology, not by simply installing an oversize battery pack,” CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson said in a release. “Our race-proven 900V battery and BMS technology, our miniaturized drive units, coupled with our Wunderbox technology endow Lucid Air with ultra-high efficiency, enabling it to travel more miles from less battery energy. The next generation EV has truly arrived!”

The company noted in a release that multiple Lucid Air models have received their official EPA range ratings, including the Dream Edition Performance and Grand Touring versions on both 19” and 21” wheels. That positions Lucid Air models in the top six spots for overall EPA range ratings among all EVs as well as the highest MPGe ratings in the Large vehicle class.

The first Lucid vehicles are expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I bet I could make a 520 Mile range rated car, get 300 miles of range, heat on full, speed, weight, bike racks, all kill that range, I can easily do it in my Model S.
Also my VW Passat Diesel Wagon would go over 800 miles on a tank, my 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid goes 580 miles on a tank. However I also have 2 cars that can barely get 200 miles on a tank (Supercharged FJ and Supercharged Miata)...but I also drive them like they are rental cars.

Range is king, and that's why I got the Cyber Truck for $70K.... not the $180K they want for the Lucid with similar range and skipped the descoped PLAID. PLAID + was awesome, then it vaporized...

 

[Ogre]

I've had 5 cars and only one of them had a range close to 500 miles. Even then, the effective range was more like 400 miles. And even with the 400+ miles range, I almost always stopped before the tank was full for a piss break or food. (You people do eat right?)

Also, I suspect gas cars have big tanks more so you don't want to go to the gas station twice a week than anything else. With EVs that is not an issue.

For long drives, 250 miles range is fine so long as I can reliably find a place to fuel up. My problem to date is Superchargers just aren't quite common enough on the backroads I drive on.

As more Superchargers this will all become far less of an issue.

I like range and I'm paying for the top end Cybertruck because I want more, but it's not a requirement by any means.

 

[LCR1]

Another issue is it's great to say a current tesla has 400 miles A that's epa rated miles at 60-65mph, not real life of driving 75-80. Second issue is no one is taking thier cars from 100-0-100 on a road trip. They may take it to 100 at home and have 100 for the first leg but they aren't taking it zero because that's not their choice.

Assume they take it down to 15% and that's a total of 300 miles, if there is no charger at 300 miles they can't stop they have to stop at the carger that was 200 miles away or maybe try to extend their range to the one that's 350 miles away. In a gas car if you're going 300 miles you're sure to find a dozen gas stations around the 300 mile mark so you stop at 295,300, 310 oh the gas station at 315 is cheaper. That just doesn't happen in a Tesla with 50-100 miles between chargers.

A real life example of me is leaving Houston there's a charger in
lake charles 143 miles
Lafayette 218
Baton Rouge 269
Slidell 358
D'Iberville, 412

so with a 300 mile useable range on the first leg I can't make 300 miles I can stop early at 269 or try to extend to 358. Gas car there are plenty of stations in between. With 520 miles or more like 450 miles I could certianly make it to D'lberville or even extend to Mobile if I wanted to. It's nice to say a telsa has 400 miles or range which it doens't in the real world but you can't always use that 400 miles of range becasue there arent always 2 chargers exactly 400 miles apart or even 300 miles apart. Elon made a tweet about the range of the plaid+ and why it was canceled saying data showed noone ever went more than 300 miles between charges. Well no shlt this example right here shows exactly why you don't have any chargers that are accessible more than 300 miles apart.

 

[NoGasNoBrakes]

A quick recap of the topics I'm seeing in this thread and what I've gathered from each point:

1. "The Lucid Air Dream Edition has 520 miles of range."
- Great! That's really an excellent way to show that they're willing to put in work to create their vehicle. I suppose the only drawback is that $170k price tag, so hopefully Lucid has other ways they'll be 1-upping Tesla and proving that the price increase from a Tesla to a Lucid vehicle is worth it.
2. "520 miles of range is obsolete; you'll never need that much."
- For someone who has gone on road trips in a Tesla with 220 miles of range, it definitely is helpful to not have to go out of the way for certain superchargers, but it's definitely not a hassle to have to stop for supercharging. I do believe that a 500+ mile range would be far more useful for a work truck such as the Cybertruck, but it's also great that Lucid has made a car with such range.
3. "Tesla is lagging behind; they won't catch up to Lucid."
- I haven't seen this explicitly stated, but I do feel like many people in this thread have stated this implicitly. To address this, I think we should really look at the focus of the two companies right now. Although Lucid has an amazing product, by far the hardest part of production is scaling. Tesla currently is scaling and has exceeded all expectations in doing such; I hope Lucid will do the same, but keep in mind, Tesla has and will continue to expand their factories and sell many more vehicles than Lucid. Tesla has not stagnated by any means.
- In addition to this, Tesla is not focusing on creating vehicles with existing battery technology, but rather with the new 4680s. The production of said batteries (including the process of turning powder directly into film) has been extremely difficult for Tesla, which they are clearly focusing on, in addition to globally expanding and ramping up vehicle production. I believe they'll be able to far exceed the range of the Lucid vehicles (as much as it's pretty cool that Lucid has been able to hit 520 with existing tech) with 4680 tech and it's going to be great to see Tesla being able to recycle so much of the materials that go into making batteries.

I'm really excited to see both Tesla's and Lucid growth, and I believe it's important to realize that Tesla wants other EV companies to succeed, so there's no reason to bash on them for Tesla's sake, and vice versa.

 

[BooMan]

If 520 were the sweet spot why don't gas cars have a 520 mile tank? Driving fast with gasoline cuts their range, too. And last I checked, gas cars don't get 400 miles on a fill up, but more like 300 miles, and they have to do 60 mph on cruise even then. 400 miles of range is 5 hours of driving at an average of 80 mph, and about that time I'm ready to stop for lunch, if not sooner. So I don't understand why some people think 520 is "sweet". Your gas car does not go 520 miles on a fill up.

Most people drive about 15,000 miles a year. That's about 50 miles a day, but it's actually less with large jumps in miles during vacations or trips. Gas cars have been around for decades, and most of them have a 300 mile tank, not 400, so your "par with gas cars" is a little exaggerated, so why do EVs need more?

You seem to ignore the fact that gas cars have dam near ubiquitous, fast fill up access (albeit expensive at times). Ergo range is not much a factor. Until we have similar L3 charging Infrastrutre, EV range is important. which is why I say we should be pushing for L3 at every hwy exit which would eliminate the quest for range with EVs.

TLDR, comparing range experience ice vs EV makes no sense as the experience is different for obvious reasons.

 

[sleepydoc]

If 520 were the sweet spot why don't gas cars have a 520 mile tank? Driving fast with gasoline cuts their range, too. And last I checked, gas cars don't get 400 miles on a fill up, but more like 300 miles, and they have to do 60 mph on cruise even then. 400 miles of range is 5 hours of driving at an average of 80 mph, and about that time I'm ready to stop for lunch, if not sooner. So I don't understand why some people think 520 is "sweet". Your gas car does not go 520 miles on a fill up.

Most people drive about 15,000 miles a year. That's about 50 miles a day, but it's actually less with large jumps in miles during vacations or trips. Gas cars have been around for decades, and most of them have a 300 mile tank, not 400, so your "par with gas cars" is a little exaggerated, so why do EVs need more?

Because of the recharge time.
Your average ICE vehicle has a range of say 400 mile. You can stop at any gas station (ubiquitous across the country) and get another 400 miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

For EVs you have to plan your stops and look for charging stations, then it takes at least an hour to fully recharge, assuming there’s a supercharger on your route. If there isn’t you have to factor in the detour time to get to the charger, too.

 

[thesmokingman]

Really? Some of you are suggesting 500+ miles range is what? Not a positive thing? JHC!

 

[dipper]

Really? Some of you are suggesting 500+ miles range is what? Not a positive thing? JHC!

You know how it goes. Only anything good if made by Tesla.

Even if Elon Musk bottled his fart, people will give positive things to say about it as long as it is from Tesla.

 

[daktari]

Just have to add a mention of the big German diesel cruisers, made for long and fast autobahn driving. 4 litre V8 diesel like S400D or 740D have plenty of range at 200 km/h.

That is why the EQS 580+ have a 487 mile range also I guess.

The more interesting Lucid is maybe the 400 miles version at $77.000,-. Anyone know if they ate heading to Europe?

 

[uujjj2]

A 500mi range is going to be a key "luxury" feature for future EVs. Eventually, we'll get 500mi as kind of a standard range for luxury cars, 300mi as a standard range for regular cars, and 200mi for cheap entry-level cars.

 

[sleepydoc]

A 500mi range is going to be a key "luxury" feature for future EVs. Eventually, we'll get 500mi as kind of a standard range for luxury cars, 300mi as a standard range for regular cars, and 200mi for cheap entry-level cars.

You’re probably right - longer range means bigger batteries, better, more efficient motors and better power management software. All of this costs more to develop and to build. I also expect to see technology trickle-down, just as has happened in other automotive technologies.

ultimately, some of it requires a shift in consumer thinking. EVs primary weaknesses are in range and charging. There’s a large portion of the population that never drives more than 100 miles in a day. Range shouldn’t even be a consideration for them, but the thought of being limited by range plays a bigger roll than the actual reality.

 

[BooMan]

You know how it goes. Only anything good if made by Tesla.

Even if Elon Musk bottled his fart, people will give positive things to say about it as long as it is from Tesla.

Yeah but his farts smell like potpourri while the legacy OEMs smell like dog poo /s

 

[Dolemite]

You’re probably right - longer range means bigger batteries, better, more efficient motors and better power management software. All of this costs more to develop and to build. I also expect to see technology trickle-down, just as has happened in other automotive technologies.

ultimately, some of it requires a shift in consumer thinking. EVs primary weaknesses are in range and charging. There’s a large portion of the population that never drives more than 100 miles in a day. Range shouldn’t even be a consideration for them, but the thought of being limited by range plays a bigger roll than the actual reality.

I forget what it's called, but for the 2% of the time they need those 100+ miles, it really matters.

 

[kavyboy]

I forget what it's called, but for the 2% of the time they need those 100+ miles, it really matters.

It would be far cheaper and easier to rent a car if those long-mileage cases are predictable. It's like buying a moving van as a daily driver because you move every couple of years.

 

[sleepydoc]

It would be far cheaper and easier to rent a car if those long-mileage cases are predictable. It's like buying a moving van as a daily driver because you move every couple of years.

That would be the logical thing to do, but there are a whole lot of people who get the full sized pickup or SUV because they have to haul a boat twice a year. There's also negative recall bias at play - we tend to remember the few times things don't work rather than the hundreds of times they do.

We bought a cabin and a boat a few years ago and I pay the marina $100 twice a year to pick it up and drop it off for winter storage. Slightly less convenient? Yes, but it beats the heck out of buying a truck that we only need twice a year. But people are willing to pay a lot for convenience.

I will say that if I did a lot of road trips I wouldn't buy an electric car at this point. It's possible to do with an EV but it's a whole lot easier and more convenient to do with an ICE vehicle at this point. The longest road trip I do is 150 miles to our cabin. I installed a 30A outlet so my Model Y works beautifully for that. For the times we need to haul more, we have a minivan.

 

[uujjj2]

People keep suggesting, hey, get a short-range EV for daily and just rent a car when you take a road trip. Renting a car is a pain in the butt! An hour to find the car and make a reservation, an hour to pick up the car, an hour to return the car, and another hour to move the kids' car seats and connect the %#@^%! bluetooth. That's like 8 supercharging stops worth of overhead, for the joy of driving an inferior car. Not worth renting a gas car for most road trips. I'll pay for an EV with a decent range and a good fast charging network, thanks, and as a bonus I get the day-to-day convenience of only needing to charge once or twice a week instead of every night.

 

[SO16]

I will say that if I did a lot of road trips I wouldn't buy an electric car at this point. It's possible to do with an EV but it's a whole lot easier and more convenient to do with an ICE vehicle at this point.

I actually enjoy road trips much more in my model S than any previous ICE I have owned. To each their own I guess.

 

[uujjj2]

ultimately, some of it requires a shift in consumer thinking. EVs primary weaknesses are in range and charging. There’s a large portion of the population that never drives more than 100 miles in a day. Range shouldn’t even be a consideration for them, but the thought of being limited by range plays a bigger roll than the actual reality.

If you're longest daily drive is 100 miles, you need a 200 mile EPA range, dude. It's gotta cover your 100 mile trip in the winter with the heater cranked up with 10 years of battery degradation plus a quick side trip to the grocery store without stressing you out. Rule of thumb for EV range: take whatever's you're longest daily trip that you don't wanna stop to charge, and double that.

 

[sleepydoc]

I actually enjoy road trips much more in my model S than any previous ICE I have owned. To each their own I guess.

Well, I don’t like road trips in general, so I’m not the best person to ask! I will say that auto pilot on the highway is awesome and makes for a very relaxing drive.

what do you like better about your model S vs an ICE car? There’s probably an element of how you approach it. Some people like to drive 600 miles a day and get there as quickly as they can, others take a more leisurely approach. Charging stops would be a nuisance for the former and an opportunity for the latter.

 

[uujjj2]

Well, I don’t like road trips in general, so I’m not the best person to ask! I will say that auto pilot on the highway is awesome and makes for a very relaxing drive.

what do you like better about your model S vs an ICE car? There’s probably an element of how you approach it. Some people like to drive 600 miles a day and get there as quickly as they can, others take a more leisurely approach. Charging stops would be a nuisance for the former and an opportunity for the latter.

I have two kids, so 600 miles straight shot no stops isn't viable anyway. A half hour stop every 3 hours or so (~200mi) is how the Uujjj family rolls even in a dino burner. And honestly the average Supercharger station is a more pleasant place to spend time than the average gas station. And you don't have to stand next to the car while it's charging, so you just park, plug in, go do whatever you want to do, and then come back, unplug and drive away. Like SO16 we've actually come to prefer the Tesla as our road trip car.