Lucid announced on Wednesday that it will hold a delivery event in California this Saturday, October 30, in which an initial group of customers will take delivery of their Air Dream Edition cars and be able to drive away.
This will be a big moment for Lucid, as it doesn’t just formally establish the California-based company as an automaker; it officially unseats Tesla with the longest-range electric vehicle, and the first 500-mile EV.
Lucid started production last month in Arizona, with a formal commissioning of the plant, which is claimed to be the first greenfield facility for dedicated EV manufacturing in North America.
Lucid Air in production - Casa Grande, Arizona
The delivery program will include what is called the Lucid Rally, “hosted by members of the company’s leadership team on a route that showcases the vehicle’s standout ride, handling, and performance capabilities.”
Ahead of deliveries, Lucid has fine-tuned some of its specs a bit. Most notably, it's listed its $169,000 Dream Edition launch models, equipped with cells from Samsung SDI, as having a capacity of 118 kwh, while the $139,000 Grand Touring, with cells from LG, has a rated 112 kwh.
The initial versions of the Air to be delivered this weekend will be Dream Edition Performance and Range models—with each version depending on the customer’s choice. The Dream Edition Range achieves an EPA range of 520 miles, while the 1,111-hp Dream Edition Performance (with 21-inch wheels) can accelerate to 60 mph in 2.41 seconds, according to Lucid, with a quarter-mile time of 9.67 seconds.
2022 Lucid Air
In a brief first drive experience late last month, we found the Air to offer a more holistic luxury-car experience than Tesla, while taking the leading edge in performance, range, and efficiency. With core propulsion components designed and built within Lucid, the company sees the Air as a technological statement, and an entry point for scaling up to more affordable future models.
Lucid plans to produce 520 of its Dream Edition Airs but is aiming for 577 vehicles by the end of 2021. That means production of the Air Grand Touring, rated at up to 516 miles, will ramp up soon too.
