EV car maker Lucid has advanced its model Air development with high-speed testing at up to 350km/h.
LUCID MOTORS’ ALPHA Speed Car appeared unannounced at the New York motor show last week as appetite increased for the company’s first electric-vehicle offering, the Lucid Air.
The Alpha Speed Car is a development version of the Air model and has extra additions such as a roll cage, large rear spoiler and is electronically speed limited (via software) to 350km/h.
Following from Lucid’s winter testing, its spring and summer testing took place at a 12km long track at the Transportation Research Centre, Ohio, where the electric vehicle managed to reach 350km/h on banked turns. The at-the-limit testing was part of Lucid’s preparation to enter the vehicle into markets outside of the US, presumably such as Europe: “The Lucid Air will compete with the best vehicles in the biggest markets around the world. In at least one of these markets, there is an expectation of high-speed cruising that we intend to satisfy,” Lucid said.
No information regarding normal (under 100km/h) road handling and NVH has been released, but with the Air pitched as a lightning fast luxury sedan it could to be everything Henry Ford ever dreamt about.
Lucid is already claiming the Air will accelerate 0-96km/h in just 2.5sec – a fierce competitor to current EV sprint champion Tesla – and have a range of around 400km. But both figures will only be achievable in a car with all of the additional bells and whistles.
The entry-model Lucid Air currently has a price in the US of $60,000, or $52,000 including federal government tax credits. There has been no confirmation if the Lucid is coming to Australia, yet.
Unlike other EV start-ups, say Farday Future, Lucid looks to be on-track to deliver its target of 10,000 customer vehicles in 12 months when it goes into production, possibly late 2018.
