Over the weekend, Lucid Motors tweeted a photo of what appears to be several production versions of its all-electric Air sedan on a truck, ready for transport. We’ve reached out to Lucid to confirm this is the case, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.
But it makes sense that cars would begin to find their way into customers’ hands since, as we previously reported, production of the Air officially began at the end of September. The timing is also right in line with the earlier announcement that deliveries would begin in late October.
(Update: Lucid confirmed these are indeed customer cars and says more information on production numbers will be announced later this week.)
If you’re not already familiar with Lucid Motors, it’s an electric startup that we first heard about back in 2016. Lucid’s first concept was called the Air, an electric sedan that the company claimed would make 1,000 hp and have 400 miles of range. It’s been a while since the initial 2016 reveal, and the initial 2018 production date has long since passed, but considering how many EV startups have failed to even get to production in the first place, this is a seriously impressive milestone for the company.
That said, in the years since Lucid’s original announcement, the Air’s production specs have changed a bit. The most efficient version has an EPA estimated range of 520 miles, with that range dropping to a still-impressive 451 miles if you pick the Air Dream Edition Performance.
Maximum power is more in line with initial targets. Top-spec cars make 1,111 hp, while Grand Touring versions make do with 800 hp. As for the version with a 520-mile range? That one makes 933 hp.
When we took our initial test ride in the Lucid Air, we came away impressed, not just with the car, but with how honest the executives were about the challenges of getting to production. Ultimately, it’s just cool to see a new automaker begin delivering cars to customers now that Rivian has done the same.
How quickly they’ll be able to scale up production still remains to be seen, especially in the middle of a chip shortage that shows no signs of ending anytime soon. But we do know we need to drive a production Air as soon as possible.