{"id":208911,"date":"2021-09-16T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=208911"},"modified":"2021-09-16T08:11:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T12:11:16","slug":"lucid-gets-the-nod-from-epa-as-first-ev-maker-to-top-500-mile-range-hurdle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2021\/09\/lucid-gets-the-nod-from-epa-as-first-ev-maker-to-top-500-mile-range-hurdle\/","title":{"rendered":"Lucid Gets the Nod From EPA as First EV Maker to Top 500-Mile Range Hurdle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 \u2014 as well as traditional automotive brands like Cadillac, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lucid
Depending upon which Lucid Air Dream model you pick, you can go as far as 520 miles on a charge, the EPA says.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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,\u201d said Peter Rawlinson, the automaker\u2019s CEO and chief technology officer<\/a><\/strong>, in a statement. \u201cCrucially, this landmark has been achieved by Lucid\u2019s world-leading in-house EV technology, not by simply installing an oversize battery pack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battery efficiency is the key<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But beyond breaking the 500-mile barrier, Lucid officials suggest, the real significance is how efficient the Air sedan is. Today\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lucid
The Dream Performance edition gets between 451 and 471 miles range, depending upon tires. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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

Then there\u2019s the Air\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s battery-electric vehicles. Lucid\u2019s system also operates at more than 900 volts while most others run at just 400.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other brands are moving in that direction, Porsche\u2019s Taycan actually the first BEV on the market to use an 800-volt electrical architecture \u2013 with General Motors, Audi and the Hyundai Motor Group expected to follow. GM\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lucid
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.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The payoff could be significant, Lucid expected to aggressive promote the EPA certification in marketing and PR campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis raises the bar,\u201d said Sam Abuelsamid, principal auto analyst with Guidehouse Insight. \u201cEveryone will be chasing after this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product portfolio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lucid plans to offer a range of Air models, with prices running from around $77,000 to more than $161,000<\/a><\/strong>. The EPA initially rated three versions, including the two initial \u201cDream\u201d editions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 933 hp<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lucid
Regardless of which version of the Dream you’re in, the interior electronics will tell you how much range is available.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 about 20% more than the Tesla Model S Long Range \u2014 but it will yield 469 or 516 miles per charge, depending upon whether it\u2019s equipped with 19- or 21-inch tires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with all BEVs, the caveat is that \u201cmileage will vary,\u201d often by quite a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you actually use all that horsepower, you\u2019re not going to get near that range,\u201d said analyst Abuelsamid. EPA testing typically does little to push a vehicle\u2019s performance limit. So, \u201creal world range could be 50 to 60 miles less,\u201d depending upon how aggressive the driver is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, Lucid \u201chas done a lot to eke every mile out of the energy they have onboard,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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. The rating goes as high as 520 miles depending up on tires. Get details at TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,10,13,9],"tags":[2665,711,2663,713,2664],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208911"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208911"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208933,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208911\/revisions\/208933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208911"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=208911"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=208911"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=208911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}