Lucid Group's Air Dream Edition Secures EPA Rating At 520 Miles Of Range

(RTTNews) - Electric vehicles manufacturer Lucid Group Inc. (LCID) said on Thursday that its Air Dream Edition had secured an Environmental Protection Agency-rated range of 520 miles, thus making it the longest-range EV ever to be rated by the agency.

The ratings mean that the Air sedan can cover a distance of 520 miles on a full charge. This means that the Air Dream Edition covers 100 miles more than the Tesla Model S Long Range, which can cover around 405 miles.

The 520-mile range estimate is specific to the Air Dream Edition Range, which has 19-inch wheels. The Air Dream Edition is also available in 21-inch wheels, which drops the range to an estimated 481 miles. The buyers selecting the Air Dream Edition Performance won't be punished too much with a lower range. The car still comes in at an EPA-estimated 471 miles with 19-inch wheels and 451 miles with 21-inch wheels.

With the Air Dream Edition beating the longest-range Tesla model, there will automatically be changes in its cost as well. The Dream Edition with 19-inch wheels starts at $169,000. If any buyer finds the pricing to be on the higher range, they must wait till 2022, when Lucid plans to release a base model, which costs $77,400.

The EPA also rated the various trim levels, such as the Dream Edition with 21-inch wheels (481 miles), Dream Edition Performance (471 miles with 19-inch wheels and 451 miles with 21-inch wheels), and the Grand Touring (516 miles with 19-inch wheels and 469 miles with 21-inch wheels).

The EPA ratings are a shot in the arm for the Lucid Group, which had claimed that its upcoming electric sedan would be the longest-range production electric vehicle in the market. Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson had led the development team for Model S, when he worked at Tesla and had claimed that the Air Dream Edition would outperform the Model S.

The main contributors to the Air Dream Edition's impressive performance is its 113kWh battery pack and also its aerodynamic design. The EPA testing is done within its parameters and can be subjective. The test conducted by the EPA shows the electric sedan's best performance under the agency's specific conditions and does not include conditions like cold weather effects and steep hill climbing.

Lucid Group plans to begin delivery of its electric sedans later during the year and also build nearly 100 near-final quality versions of the model at its new factory in Arizona.