Lucid Motors, formerly known as Atieva was founded in 2007 and the first car which was rolled out was the Lucid Air sedan which won the coveted MotorTrend’s Car of the Year award. Initially Lucid as a company was developing electric powertrains and batteries for other manufacturers and within a short time became the chosen Electric Manufacturer to bag a very big contract to sell 100,000 electric vehicles to Saudi Arabia over the next decade.
Lucid Air Vs Tesla Model S
Lucid Air is the direct competitor to the Tesla Model S. Lucid targets directly to the luxury Segment of buyers however the Tesla is more on higher volumes. Accordingly, to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates, the Lucid Air Dream Edition offers more than 500+ miles in the city on a single charge which is 28% more than the Tesla Model S long-range Edition.  The range further increases on highways to over 32%.
Adding to the increase in range is also due to the slight increase in battery size 113KWh which is 13% higher than Tesla. The top speed is 168 mph vs the Tesla’s 155 mph. The Air even tops the power with Max HP @1111 hp. Overall the Dream Edition is more expensive than the Tesla with a difference of 70% in price.
Lucid Line-up
The other cars in the lineup include the Lucid Air Grand Touring with slightly less power @1050 hp and a range of 516 mph. The Air Touring and Air Pure are the entry-level variants with significantly lower price, range, and power. Inspired by the aircraft design the Lucid Air has an aerodynamic design with a 0.21 drag coefficient. Â On the interiors the Air gets an incredible Glass Canopy giving a great view of the sky. Â Approximately 300 miles of range is achieved with 20 minutes of rapid charge.
The car’s glass infotainment system is intuitive with a host of features, crisp UI, 360-Degree Aerial View, wave-inspired speakers, and the autopilot panel features give a personalized touch.  On the storage front, the Air gets the industry’s largest ‘Frunk’ with 10 cubic feet of space and the rear trunk has a wider opening and low lip for easy luggage loading.
Lucid Agreement to Sell 100,000 EVs
The ten-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of finance includes Lucid to sell 50000 cars initially and add another 50000 cars over the same period. This further helps the country to attain sustainable goals and to move to greener means of transportation. This deal also benefits the economy and helps in providing thousands of high-skilled jobs and aids the kingdom’s Vision for 2030.
According to the contract, Lucid will manufacture and assemble vehicles at its Arizona and also international manufacturing center constructed in Saudi Arabia. Â The initial order capacity will range from 1000 to 2000 cars and by 2025 an estimate of 4000 to 7000 vehicles annually. Lucid is also expected to deliver the first lot by the second quarter of 2023.
As per the Lucid Group’s press release, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns 61 percent of the group following the investment of $1 billion in the group in 2018. With this, the Luxury Electric manufacturer scores the order to deliver 100,000 Cars to the oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
