520-Mile Lucid Air EV Production Begins, Customer Deliveries in October
It’s been a long road up to this point.
Lucid Motors is somewhat of an upstart player in the electric vehicle space. Like so many others, the company spent years promoting its concepts and collecting deposits from customers. Now, the time has finally come, and production of the company's first model, the Lucid Air, has now begun in earnest.
Based in Casa Grande, Arizona, the company ran a preview event at its Advanced Manufacturing Plant and Lucid Powertrain Manufacturing facilities to show off its gear to investors, members of the media, and local policymakers. With 13,000 reservations for the Lucid Air on the books, the company is hoping to make its first customer deliveries of Dream Edition models in late October. Production is intended to ramp from there, with Grand Touring, Touring and Air Pure models to come down the line.
The Lucid Air is a curious vehicle, one that has come charging out of the blocks just ahead of hitting the market with a huge 520-mile EPA range rating in the Dream Edition model with 19" wheels. It's over 100 miles further than its closest competitor, the Tesla Model S Long Range, which musters only 405 miles in comparison. Our own Kristen Lee rode in a pre-production example back in July, praising the vehicle for its luxury appointments, dead-silent ride, and impressive legroom. Models are available in a range of performance levels, from 800 to 1,111 horsepower.
The luxury electric sedan was regularly accused by some commentators of being vaporware. Of course, when the company started accepting deposits in 2017, it claimed that it hoped to start production just two years later. With so many electric vehicle startups doing the same, and failing to meet targets, it's an understandable assertion. The fact that the Lucid factory is now up and running will quickly put those claims to bed. The company projects that it will bring an economic output of $9 billion to Arizona in 2024, along with 15,000 jobs across its own operation and via demand induced through suppliers.
Customers with reservations will be glad to hear that production has begun and their cars are finally on the way. Lucid's competitors will likely be less enthused given the company's significant range advantage over their own products. More hard work is now ahead, as Lucid must increase its production to become a serious player in the luxury EV market.
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com
