--- title: "Lucid Air vs. Porsche Taycan: Two Lightning-Quick EVs Hit the Drag Strip" description: "The Ludic Air Dream Edition is far more powerful than the Porsche Taycan Turbo S but the Porsche has a trick up its sleeve." date: "2023-05-21" modified: "2023-05-21" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/lucid-air-vs-porsche-taycan-two-lightning-quick-evs-hit-the-drag-strip" categories: - "Lucid News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "air" - "Electric Vehicle" - "Lucid" - "porsche" - "Taycan" --- # Lucid Air vs. Porsche Taycan: Two Lightning-Quick EVs Hit the Drag Strip ![]() *Photo | Carwow* Electric car drag races often have little nuance. Big power make car go fast. That's really about the gist of every EV drag race. Because electric motors make almost all of their power and torque instantly, without any powerband or gearing to deal with, the winner of the drag race is usually just the one with the most power. However, this one from *Carwow*—featuring the [Lucid Air]() and Porsche [Taycan Turbo S]()—is a bit different. Not only does it show how differently EVs can perform, it shows how different their characters can be. A lack of character differences is another complaint about performance EVs. All electric motors, and their power deliveries, pretty much feel the same. But Porsche proved that they don't have to, with the Taycan. The Porsche Taycan Turbo is unique among electric performance cars, thanks to its carbon ceramic brakes with ten-piston calipers and two-speed gearbox at the rear axle. Those two things make this drag race far more interesting than it might have seemed at the beginning. ![]() **Photo | Carwow** On paper, the [Lucid ]()Air Dream Edition should crush the Taycan. Its dual motors make 1,111 horsepower and 1,025 pound-feet of torque, which is far more than the Taycan Turbo S's 750 horsepower and 774 pound-feet. The Lucid is heavier but only by about 40 pounds. Which gives it a massive power-to-weight advantage, so you'd imagine it would obliterate the Porsche off the line. Remember the Porsche's two-speed gearbox, though? Porsche's decision to fit a two-speed gearbox to the rear axle was clever because it gives the Taycan a low gear for launching and high gear for top speed. The former helped the Taycan absolutely rocket off the line in this drag race, so it quickly jumped ahead of the much more powerful Lucid. The Lucid eventually caught up and beat the Porsche through the quarter-mile but to about 60 mph, the Taycan had it. In the real world, Taycan Turbo S owners are going to beat Lucid owners in stop-light drag races. The Porsche might be slower overall, at slower while already at speed, but it also has much better brakes and a sportier attitude, so it does actually distinguish itself from the Lucids and Teslas of the world, proving that EVs might actually be capable of creating an interesting automotive future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImMaa0qrbnc&t=1s *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()