Electric vehicle start-up Lucid is touting its all-electric Air sedan as a more efficient, faster and spacious vehicle than the Tesla Model S, a car t

Electric vehicle start-up Lucid unveils Air sedan to take on Tesla

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2020-09-10 13:03:53

Electric vehicle start-up Lucid is touting its all-electric Air sedan as a more efficient, faster and spacious vehicle than the Tesla Model S, a car the company's CEO Peter Rawlinson helped develop.

"What we've got is a breakthrough in electric cars,"  he told media ahead of the Air's unveiling on Wednesday. "That's not just due to batteries, it's due to a whole host of big picture thinking that's added up."

Rawlinson, who was the Model S chief engineer and vice president of engineering at Tesla from 2009 to 2012, claims the high-end version of the Air is 17% more energy efficient than Tesla models, allowing for more range with fewer cells. 

The Air heavily resembles the prototype models and a concept of the car, which Lucid previously unveiled in 2016. The company made small changes to the exterior since, including larger side mirrors to meet regulations, as well as curved screens in the interior.

The car is estimated to achieve an EPA-rated range of 517 miles on a single charge, according to third party testing. That easily tops Tesla's industry-leading 402 miles with a version of the Model S. It also can achieve a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds, according to Rawlinson. Tesla's fastest vehicle reportedly takes 10.4 seconds.

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