2023 Lucid Air Performance

Lucid wowed the world by introducing the fastest model first. Last year's Dream Edition had up to 1,111 hp and 1,025 lb-ft of torque in performance. It's an all-wheel-drive five-seat supercar, able to get from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds flat. Lucid also says it can do the quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds. Unfortunately, the Dream Edition sold out quickly, but Lucid saw fit to introduce something nearly as potent in the form of the 1,050-hp Grand Touring Performance, which takes 2.6 seconds to hit 60 mph. In these upper trims, the Lucid Air's top speed is 168 mph.

On the rest of the Air range, Lucid gives you the option of choosing between range and performance, but there's no such thing as a slow Lucid Air. Beneath the aforementioned range-toppers, the Air Grand Touring comes with 819 hp and 885 lb-ft, nailing the 60 mph dash in three seconds dead. The Air Touring has 620 hp (3.4 seconds to 60 mph), while the base Pure makes up to 480 hp (3.8 seconds to 60 mph with AWD).

All models but the Pure come with AWD as standard. The Pure only sends its power to the rear wheels, but AWD is available as an option.

Lucid designed a new EV motor from scratch. It's small enough to fit in an airplane carry-on and weighs just 163 lbs. If ever there was something that proves size doesn't matter, it's this tiny motor because it delivers up to 670 hp. In the AWD models, you get two of these motors. One for the front axle and one for the rear. The power is transferred to the wheels via a robust direct drive unit that can handle high speed.

Not all models get a minimum of 670 hp, though. From the bottom up, the Air Pure makes up to 480 hp in AWD guise (430 hp with RWD). The Air Grand Touring gets 819 hp and 885 lb-ft, while the Grand Touring Performance sees the horsepower figure climb to 1,050 hp.

Lucid uses a skateboard design and the EV motors are mounted as low down as possible, while the 88- or 112-kWh battery pack is nestled between the front and rear wheels underneath the floor. The top-spec models defy physics with how quick they are and the seemingly unending surge of power provided by their 900-volt architecture.

The Grand Touring (on 19-inch wheels) is good for 516 miles of range (131 MPGe combined), but this drops to 469 miles (121 MPGe) on the 20- or 21-inch wheels. The 1,050-hp Grand Touring Performance on 21-inch wheels will cover 446 miles before needing a recharge (111 MPGe). Lower down in the range, the Touring and Pure models are good for 425 and 410 miles, respectively, due to their smaller 88-kWh battery pack. All models set a new standard in the EV segment, with the closest rival being the Tesla Model S with a range of 405 miles.

If anything, the charging times are even more impressive. With DC 350 kW fast-charging, you can add 300 miles of range in 20 minutes. Usually, fast charging means enough time for a lunch break, but with this, you hardly have enough time to stretch your legs and go to the bathroom.

Lucid's Connected Home Charging Station provides 19.2 kW of bidirectional flow. If there's a power outage, you can use the car to power the house.

As an added bonus, you get three years' worth of free charging via Electrify America's network. There are no restrictions on this deal, and you can use it as much as you like.