EV-maker Lucid is claiming the world’s fastest production sedan after its Air Dream Edition four-door clocked a 9.912-second quarter-mile at the Sonoma Raceway drag strip with a trap speed of 144.4 mph. That’s quick. The Dream Edition, by the way, is the Lucid Air launch sedan with all the bells and whistles.
Our own Mark Vaughn talked to Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson a few weeks ago to find out what makes this car so special, and how it can go a claimed 517 miles on one battery charge. As you would expect, efficiency is the key aspect of everything it does. Clocking these times would surely reduce the range, but Lucid says that the feat is repeatable.
From our latest piece: “Those ‘efficiencies’ are present in all facets of the Air,” says Rawlinson. “The car operates on a 900-volt system, for instance, which lessens losses to heat, for one thing; the car makes just a fifth of the heat losses it was making three years ago. With fewer heat losses, the openings on the body for cooling are also reduced, which helps contribute to the Air’s also-remarkable 0.21 coefficient of drag.”
The Lucid Air’s online unveiling happens Sept. 9. Air production begins by the end of the year. Cars should be in showrooms in spring and official pricing will be announced next week.
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