2021 Lucid Air Electric

Currently, Lucid isn’t delivering any cars and is only accepting a $1,000 refundable deposit with the deliveries set to begin in spring 2021. Only the Pure and Grand Touring trims are set to be available at the beginning, with the Touring trim only expected to hit the market by the end of the year. The top of the line Dream Edition variant is only expected to arrive in the next spring. Lucid also hasn’t shared many details regarding the features except for the powertrain specs, so we’ll have to wait until further discoveries are made.

Which trim should you buy?

With only the Pure and Grand Touring trims available initially if budget isn’t a big constraint, it is better to opt for the Grand Touring trim as it not only offers a significantly superior acceleration, it also offers a much longer range. 

Neither Lucid nor EPA have revealed the official MPGe figures for the 2021 Air, but since the driving range is of paramount importance for any EV, the Air promises to deliver a great performance in this regard. Although the best 517-mile range is available only on the Grand Touring trim, the base Pure trim is expected to be able to do 406 miles on a single charge from its 113 kWh battery. 

The Dream Edition with its class-leading power figures is expected to deliver a slightly lower 503 miles range. Lucid also claims to have the world’s fastest EV charging times with its DC Fast Charging Network that can add power to the car at a rate of around 20 miles per minute. Lucid claims that the Air can offer a 300 miles range in just 20 minutes. New owners will also enjoy a 3-year complimentary fast charging facility at all Electrify America charging stations. 

In terms of efficiency, there is no match to the Tesla Model S to date, and with the Lucid Air’s top variant offering a 517 miles range, Tesla quickly roped in the Model S Plaid with 520 miles range. The Porsche Taycan on the other hand has a very limited driving range in its base trim but also offers super-fast charging speeds and promises 5-80% charge in just 23 minutes with an 800-volt DC fast charger. 

Although there is nothing to say in terms of space on offer inside the cabin of the Air sedan yet, the cabin speaks volumes for itself based on the images showcased by Lucid. The biggest highlight being a 34-inch curved 5K display that floats above the dashboard. The air vents are positioned in a retractable panel where other cabin functions like seat adjustments, lighting, and opening and closing the doors are located.

Similar to the Tesla cars, most of the controls are controlled by the large touchscreen on the center console, but Lucid has gone a step further by also offering physical controls for ease of use while driving. There are toggle switches for adjusting the climate settings and the steering wheel is a flat-bottom sporty one with additional control switches to control infotainment and other functions of the car. 

In terms of seating, the rear seat is rated to seat 3 passengers rather comfortably but Lucid also offers an optional Executive Rear Seating option that brings significant recline functions for additional levels of comfort. With the roof mostly made of glass, similar to Tesla cars, we expect the cabin to feel premium and airy with the utilization of high-quality premium materials like the Nappa grain leather seats and Eucalyptus wood trims. 

Lucid claims to offer the largest frunk or the front trunk in any EV with a volume of 10 cu-ft. The details about the rear trunk are not yet known but it would be a great addition if it can manage to come anywhere close to the 26 cu-ft offered by the Tesla Model S. The Porsche Taycan has almost half the capacity in terms of trunk space but both the sedans offer similar cabin space for both the front and rear seat occupants, with the Taycan offering a slightly better headroom. 

• 34-inch curved 5K display
• Touch control on the center console
• Premium Nappa grain leather upholstery
• Eucalyptus wood interior trim
• Digital and redundant physical controls

What’s there to keep you entertained in the 2021 Lucid Air Electric Sedan?

The large 34-inch 5K curved display doubles up as both an infotainment system and a fully digital gauge cluster. It should come with all the latest and greatest technology packed to the brim and Lucid says that the voice recognition software will respond to natural speech patterns for a much-improved interface. This system incorporates an artificial assistant that learns the user's preferred music and climate settings for added ease of convenience. 

• 34-inch 5K curved display infotainment system
• Steering mounted infotainment controls
• Enhanced AI voice recognition
• Smartphone integration
• Mobile hotspot

Have a first look at the Lucid Air sedan and it might feel like a concept car with years to go for its actual production to the surface, but that is not the case here. What you see is what you get for the 2021 model year Air sedan. Lucid claims that the sleek and stylish exterior design of the Air sedan makes it the most aerodynamic car in the world with a drag coefficient of 0.21 and dethrones the Tesla Model S from this prestigious tag.

The 4-door coupe styling is sure to attract eyeballs wherever it would go and makes the Model S look somewhat bland. The headlights of the Air boast thousands of "light channels" which are claimed to be the brightest, most advanced, and most precise by Lucid. The base Pure trim gets 19-inch wheels with an option for 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, while the Dream Edition is set to feature a unique set of 21-inch wheels. 

In terms of dimensions, there is hardly anything to separate the three high-performance electric vehicles from one another. Tesla is obviously the lightest one of the lot while the Taycan is the heaviest. There is no official data regarding the ride height of the Air sedan, but expect it to be on par with the other two cars and be around that 5-inch mark. 

• Drag coefficient of 0.21
• Sleek LED headlights 
• LED bar-like tail lights 
• 20-inch Aero Lite wheels
• Glass roof
• Panoramic sunroof

As expected, the 2021 Lucid Air is yet to undergo any sort of safety testing from either of the government and private crash testing agencies, but the newly developed Lucid Electric Advanced Platform should offer a safe haven in all circumstances. Lucid is also set to offer Level 2 and 3 autonomous driving capabilities with the world's first-ever high-resolution LIDAR in an EV that works in coordination with the Driver Monitoring System and HD mapping. 

A suite of 32 sensors forms the DreamDrive driver-assist system that together ensures maximum safety to the occupants with its wide range of sensors that include vision, radar, and ultrasonics. A list of probable safety features that are expected to make their way into the Lucid Air sedan for the 2021 model year has been mentioned below. 

• Forward-Collision Warning 
• Automated Emergency Braking
• Adaptive Cruise Control 
• Lane-Keeping Assist
• Blind-Spot Monitoring 
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• 360-degree View Camera

2021 Lucid Air Electric Sedan vs Tesla Model S

The biggest rival to the Air sedan, the Tesla Model S already has the first market mover advantage and the ever-increasing and widespread network of fast-charging stations to make life difficult for the Air. The performance for the base trims is also superior with the Model S with driving ranges to be similar to one another. Since the Model S is a more mature product that has been in the market for a long time now, it makes for a sensible option between the two, in spite of the higher asking price. 

2021 Lucid Air Electric Sedan vs Porsche Taycan

The Porsche Taycan with a sporty appeal to the electric sedans is another rival to the Lucid Air sedan that is also priced higher than the Air. With lower power output, it should be slower when compared to the Air, while the Air already triumphs the Taycan in terms of driving range, that too by a huge margin. With a premium cabin also expected to be offered by Lucid, the longer range and faster charging 2021 Lucid Air sedan should be the preferred choice in this comparison.

The 2021 Lucid Air may seem like a novelty item for now with limited dealerships and compatible charging stations, it is surely expected to set the segment on fire. The cabin looks far more premium than the Model S and has a much longer driving range than the Porsche Taycan. Add to that the autonomous driving function and lightning-quick charging speeds, at a cost that undercuts the competition, the Air sedan should definitely be worth the wait.