• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Unions Win with Provisions in New EV Tax Credit Rules
  • Dodge Eases Sting of Lost Muscle Cars with New Hornet
  • Mercedes-Benz Teases EQE SUV’s Interior
  • Polestar 6 Roadster Confirmed for Production in 2026
  • First Look: Chevy’s Ultimate Off-Road Pickup, the 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison
  • Say Farewell to Dodge Charger, Challenger — And Welcome Back to Durango Hellcat
  • NHTSA Opens Brake Hose Query; Could Result in Recall of 1.7M Ford Vehicles
  • Check Out the Latest Info on EVs, Executives and More on the Headlight News Podcast
  • Top U.S. Auto Safety Chief Leaving After Three Months
  • Bentley Mulliner Batur Reveals Brand's New Design Language
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD 4x4
    • First Drive: 2023 Hyundai Palisade
    • A Week With: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van
    • A Week With: 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid EX AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 Autobahn
    • A Week With: 2022 Infiniti QX60 Luxe AWD
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis G90
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW M4 Competition xDrive Convertible
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Lucid Gets the Nod From EPA as First EV Maker to Top 500-Mile Range Hurdle

        Lucid Gets the Nod From EPA as First EV Maker to Top 500-Mile Range Hurdle

        “Everyone will be chasing after this.”

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Sept. 16, 2021

        The Lucid Air Dream Range edition becomes the first retail battery-electric vehicle to deliver more than 500 miles per charge, the EPA today confirmed, giving the startup automaker a significant marketing boost as it takes aim at Tesla — as well as traditional automotive brands like Cadillac, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

        Lucid Air Dream R pair
        Depending upon which Lucid Air Dream model you pick, you can go as far as 520 miles on a charge, the EPA says.

        The precise range varies according to model, and tire size also has an impact, according to EPA. But two versions of the new Lucid battery sedan will yield range estimated at more than 500 miles, or about 25% more than the Tesla Model S Long Range which is itself rated at 412 miles per charge.

        “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,” said Peter Rawlinson, the automaker’s CEO and chief technology officer, in a statement. “Crucially, this landmark has been achieved by Lucid’s world-leading in-house EV technology, not by simply installing an oversize battery pack.”

        That’s not to say the battery pack is small. At 118 kilowatt-hours (although it uses only 113 kWh of the pack), its currently the biggest offered by any automaker, though it soon will be surpassed by several battery-electric vehicles now in the works. The Rivian R1S SUV and R1T pickup, for example, will offer optional packs as large as 180 kWh.

        Battery efficiency is the key

        But beyond breaking the 500-mile barrier, Lucid officials suggest, the real significance is how efficient the Air sedan is. Today’s BEVs are typically yielding anywhere from 2.5 to around 4 miles per kilowatt-hour. Lucid pushes that to 4.6 miles, also an industry record.

        Lucid Air Dream
        The Dream Performance edition gets between 451 and 471 miles range, depending upon tires.

        Getting there starts with a wind-slick body design that boasts among the lowest levels of drag of any automobile the EPA has tested.

        Then there’s the Air’s driveline. As the chief engineer on the Tesla Model S program before joining Lucid, Rawlinson knew what his toughest competitor was using. He targeted several key steps to eke out even more range, starting with small, lightweight motors of its own design.

        The company focuses on the latest in power electronics, using silicon carbide MOSFETS, rather than the conventional silicon-based power convertors in most of today’s battery-electric vehicles. Lucid’s system also operates at more than 900 volts while most others run at just 400.

        Other brands are moving in that direction, Porsche’s Taycan actually the first BEV on the market to use an 800-volt electrical architecture – with General Motors, Audi and the Hyundai Motor Group expected to follow. GM’s chief EV strategist Tim Grewe last month told TheDetroitBureau.com that the automaker is studying silicon carbide technology but may not make the switch until late in the decade.

        Lucid Air Dream Range
        The EPA rated the Lucid Air Dream Range model at 520 miles of range, however, that drops to 481 if you move to 21-inch tires.

        The payoff could be significant, Lucid expected to aggressive promote the EPA certification in marketing and PR campaigns.

        “This raises the bar,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal auto analyst with Guidehouse Insight. “Everyone will be chasing after this.”

        Product portfolio

        Lucid plans to offer a range of Air models, with prices running from around $77,000 to more than $161,000. The EPA initially rated three versions, including the two initial “Dream” editions.

        The Air Dream Range model will deliver an estimated 520 miles per charge; however, that dips to 481 when switching from 19- to 21-inch tires. The Dream Performance edition gets between 451 and 471 miles range, depending upon tires. But it bumps up to 1,111 horsepower from the Range model’s 933 hp.

        Lucid Air Dream - interior
        Regardless of which version of the Dream you’re in, the interior electronics will tell you how much range is available.

        They are expected to go into production late this year. In 2022, Lucid will follow with the Air Grand Touring edition. It will make a relatively modest 800 hp — about 20% more than the Tesla Model S Long Range — but it will yield 469 or 516 miles per charge, depending upon whether it’s equipped with 19- or 21-inch tires.

        As with all BEVs, the caveat is that “mileage will vary,” often by quite a bit.

        “If you actually use all that horsepower, you’re not going to get near that range,” said analyst Abuelsamid. EPA testing typically does little to push a vehicle’s performance limit. So, “real world range could be 50 to 60 miles less,” depending upon how aggressive the driver is.

        Cold weather also has a major impact since BEVs rely on electric heaters drawing down their battery packs. Gas-powered models normally rely on waste engine heat to warm the cabin. According to studies by both AAA and Consumer Reports, BEV range typically drops about 40% when the temperature gets down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

        Nonetheless, Lucid “has done a lot to eke every mile out of the energy they have onboard,” said Abuelsamid. And with a battery pack that could get a motorist from Los Angeles to San Francisco with power to spare, the nascent EV maker has thrown down the gauntlet for the rest of the emerging BEV market.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition

        Unions Win with Provisions in New EV Tax Credit Rules

        Today
        2023 Dodge Hornet Night Beauty Shot scaled REL

        Dodge Eases Sting of Lost Muscle Cars with New Hornet

        Yesterday
        Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Interior tease REL

        Mercedes-Benz Teases EQE SUV’s Interior

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: