Lucid Air battery, cabin space detailed

In the latest info drop ahead of its September 9 launch, Lucid Motors has confirmed the Air sedan has a battery capacity of 113kWh.

And because that battery is “sculpted” and the EV drivetrain “miniaturised”, the Air will also offer “class-leading” cabin space and a larger frunk (front trunk for those not familiar with the lingo) than any other electric vehicle.

These latest achievements follow on from Lucid’s claims that the Air has outstanding aerodynamics, top speed, range, recharging time and safety systems. It has also reported the dual motor version of the Air will produce up to 745kW.

There’s still a fair bit to announce on September 9, including more tech details, final exterior and interior designs, new details about production specifications, available configurations and pricing.

It would be nice if they also tell us what the export plan is because the Lucid Motors media department hasn’t replied to any of our emails requesting clarification on that.

Let’s hope it does come our way, because the Air looks like a compelling rival for the Tesla Model S and Lucid’s 2023 SUV shapes as great competitor for the Model X.

The lithium-ion battery pack is slightly bigger than the 100kWh of the Tesla Model S, but the range is so much longer it is more efficient.

The Air’s pack employs the same 2170-format cylindrical cells as the TeslaModel 3 and Y, sourced from LG Chem.

Lucid Motors says the Air exploits the ‘Lucid Space Concept’ to achieve its frunk capacity of more than 280 litres and a combined 739 litres total storage when the boot is added. The frunk is 89 per cent bigger than in the Model S.

Underpinning all this tech and space is the Lucid Electric Advanced Platform (or LEAP), which houses the battery pack under the passengers and a glass roof over their heads.

“It’s relatively easy to achieve more range by adding progressively more batteries but gaining ‘dumb range’ that way increases weight and cost, and reduces interior space,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors.

“Lucid Air has achieved its remarkable range whilst also reducing battery size through its in-house technology, resulting in a breakthrough in overall vehicle-level efficiency.

“By pursuing this ‘smart range’ approach, Lucid shall not only be able to offer the Air with this unprecedented absolute range, but also offer future models that achieve competitive range from proportionately smaller battery packs, thereby saving cost, weight, and space.

“Lucid’s breakthrough is not merely just a few per cent; we are talking about a significant improvement, which I shall cover further on September 9. This represents a true breakthrough and what excites me the most for the future and for Lucid’s role in advancing electrification and sustainable mobility.”

While Lucid Motors is based in Silicon Valley, California, the Saudi-backed start-up’s assembly plant is in Arizona and is nearing construction. Airs are scheduled to start rolling off the assembly line in early 2021.