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Lucid Air beats Tesla to the finish line yet again

EV maker Lucid has been quoted saying that it hoped to surpass Tesla cars on multiple levels with its upcoming Air saloon. A tri-engined Air prototype just fulfilled this dream by beating its archrival on the Laguna Seca.

A specially equipped Tesla Model S Plaid hit the same track a year ago, likewise packing three engines and earning the title of the raceway’s fastest saloon (despite technically being a liftback). Its time was 1:36.555. A month ago, Unplugged Performance tuned a Tesla Model 3 Performance to beat the above record and landed with 1:35.79.

However, it looks like Elon Musk has reasons to start worrying, because according to unofficial reports the Lucid Air just ran the loop in 1:33. Witnesses of the race claim they only succeeded in counting one lap time, and since the test vehicle made several laps, the actual best lap could be even better than that.

The currently announced Air is a purely two-engine car driven by one electric motor on the front axle and another one at the rear. Their cumulative output amounts to 1,095 hp (817 kW). Allegedly, adding a third motor to the rear end would raise the useful power to 1,216 hp (907 kW) and reduce the 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint time to two seconds flat from the current 2.5 s.

The traction battery can hold up to 113 kWh of juice, and the range is model-dependent. For example, the 811hp Air Grand Touring can reportedly do 832 km (517 miles) on a charge.

The three-engine Air should become available in late 2021. It is going to be unique in its market segment, with the newest Tesla Cybertruck and Roadster still not in production. If we look at other tri-motor configurations on offer right now, these include the Audi e-tron S and e-tron S Sportback, as well as the Roewe Marvel X. Later on, startup company Faraday Future may launch its own SUV named FF 91, but its prospects seem unclear at this point.

Editor: Andrew Raspopov

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September 21, 2020


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