From humble beginnings as Atieva, now the technology wing of the company, Lucid Motors is just about ready for prime time.

It is getting ready for market launch of its first car, the Air, a state-of-the-art all-electric luxury sedan featuring California-inspired design and engineering courtesy of Peter Rawlinson, former Tesla VP and Model S Chief Engineer. He and his team are hoping to take the Model S brief to the next level of sustainable electric transportation, especially in terms of range and performance, among other functions.

In August, the Lucid Air set a new independently verified benchmark for EVs (electric vehicles) with an estimated U.S. EPA range of 517 mi (832 km) on a single charge. This range was attained my FEV North America, Inc. in Auburn Hills, MI, applying the EPA’s multicycle test procedure, the SAE J1634 Oct 2012 standard, with the standard adjustment factor. The results confirm that the Air is the longest range EV to date.

“I believe that our 900-volt architecture, our race proven battery packs, miniaturized motors and power electronics, integrated transmission systems, aerodynamics, chassis and thermal systems, software, and overall system efficiency has now reached a stage where it collectively sets a new standard and delivers a host of ‘world’s firsts.’“ said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors.

The FEV range estimate closely matches Lucid’s computer-modeled prediction. Lucid achieved this result with in-house development of an industry-leading drivetrain paired this an ultra-high, 900+ volt architecture. The car’s battery system is said to provide unparalleled safety, performance, and energy density in a form sculpted around the occupant cabin. For the batteries, Lucid drew upon 10 years of experience, over 20 million miles of real-world testing, and the expertise of Atieva, which supplies battery packs for all Formula E racing series competitors since 2018 through 2022.

A few years ago, Lucid revealed Air alpha prototypes that promised over 400 mi (644 km) range, but a series of technological breakthroughs enabled much better energy efficiency. The new estimated EPA 517-mi range is achieved with a significantly reduced battery-pack capacity, reducing vehicle weight and cost, and improving interior space.

 

Class-leading aerodynamics

Another key enabler of efficiency, especially at higher speeds, is aerodynamic performance. In June, Lucid announced that it had achieved a new benchmark in aerodynamic efficiency for the Lucid Air. Tests completed at Windshear’s Concord, NC, advanced rolling-road wind tunnel verified a 0.21 coefficient of drag, making the Air the world’s most aero-efficient luxury car. The Lucid aerodynamics team comprises leading technologists and analysts drawn from the worlds of automotive and motorsport, with four Formula One World Championships under their belt.

“We applied lessons learned from shaping the world’s highest performance racing machines as integral to the Lucid Air’s design process. said Jean-Charles Monnet, Lead Aerodynamicist, Lucid Motors. “It’s not just about achieving the lowest coefficient of drag, it’s also key to have a highly balanced performance vehicle with precisely managed airflow in all aspects.”

The Windshear facility is considered one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. It features a closed-air circuit, temperature-controlled system built around a rolling road that accommodates full-size vehicles with air and rolling road speeds coordinated up to 180 mph (290 km/h).

Some of the functional surfaces and details that guide air efficiently through and around the car include side intakes in the front fascia that smooth airflow around the typically turbulent wheel wells, aerodynamically optimized wheel designs, and vents in the hood that channel air smoothly around the car’s flanks. A patented vortex-generating air-intake system behind the front bumper uniformly distributes air over heat-exchange surfaces. This enables the minimized size of the air-intake aperture and enables a sleek frontal design. An uninterrupted, smooth underbody curves progressively upward towards the rear to form an aerodynamic diffuser, the effectiveness of which is enhanced by a battery pack that is part of the curved form.

In real-world testing, the aerodynamic efficiency has contributed to Air Beta prototypes achieving comfortably over 400 mi of range on public roads at highway speeds. However, track testing and top speed runs in the development process helped ensure high-speed stability, validate the functionality of aerodynamic systems, and achieve a GPS-confirmed top speed of 235 mph (378 km/h).

 

Space Concept body

Another key aerodynamic efficiency factor is frontal area (the A in CdA), is here the Air’s overall design layout benefits. The “Space Concept” design takes full advantage of Lucid’s miniaturized EV drivetrain and compact 113-kW·h battery pack to deliver class-leading interior space. The design maximizes customer comfort and provides surprising storage space, including the largest frunk (front trunk) offered on an electric car, within a relatively compact exterior footprint. The frunk has a capacity of over 280 L (9.9 ft³), which Lucid claims is 89% larger than the current leader in the Air’s vehicle class, and 40% larger than the current EV leader in the SUV class. In combination with its conventional trunk, the Air offers a total of 739 L (26.1 ft³) of luggage space—a claimed best in class for both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles by some margin.

With the Space Concept, Lucid claims that the Air is the first EV designed from the ground up around the spatial benefits enabled by the miniaturization of an electric drivetrain and battery pack. The Space Concept layout, which includes a LEAP (Lucid Electric Advanced Platform) skateboard platform below and a full Canopy Glass Roof above, is said to provide occupants with an unparalleled interior experience.

“It’s relatively easy to achieve more range by adding progressively more batteries, but gaining ‘dumb range’ that way increases weight and cost, and reduces interior space,” said Rawlinson. “By pursuing this ‘smart range’ approach, Lucid shall not only be able to offer the Air with this unprecedented absolute range, but also offer future models that achieve competitive range from proportionately smaller battery packs, thereby saving cost, weight, and space. Lucid’s breakthrough is not merely just a few percent; we are talking about a significant improvement… This represents a true breakthrough and what excites me the most for the future and for Lucid’s role in advancing electrification and sustainable mobility.”

 

DreamDrive ADAS

Lucid claims it will also set a benchmark in ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) with DreamDrive, making the Air the first EV with the combination of an advanced sensor suite, high-resolution LIDAR, a driver monitoring system, and a fully redundant platform–when deliveries begin in early 2021. The technology suite supports 19 safety, driving, and parking assist features that will be available at start of production. Another eight features are expected later via over-the-air (OTA) updates. Additional capabilities to enable Level 3 driving in certain conditions are in development.

“We have developed Lucid DreamDrive to be among the most advanced ADAS to ever be offered to consumers,” said Dr. Eugene Lee, Senior Director, ADAS and Autonomous Driving, Lucid Motors. “We have ensured that the Lucid DreamDrive hardware and software platform not only offers a full suite of Level 2 features, but is also Level 3 ready, which means we’ll be able to quickly add features and functions over-the-air throughout the lifetime of Lucid Air and for future Lucid models.”

The Air will come to market with 32 sensors including the latest camera, radar, and ultrasonic sensors, as well as a long-range, high-resolution LIDAR in front. An in-car monitoring system will ensure a driver’s attention on the driving task.

Lucid says that DreamDrive is the first ADAS system built upon a high-speed Ethernet ring. The advanced electrical serves as a fully redundant platform for key functions such as steering, brakes, sensors, and includes redundant independent power sources and communications paths, fail-operational actuators, and fault-tolerant computation. Key commercial partners for DreamDrive’s hardware systems include Here, Continental, and Bosch, while integrating these systems was conducted in-house.

 

Leading-edge drivetrain

Lucid promises that its in-house developed electric drivetrain will make the Air a class leader in a number of key performance and efficiency metrics. With up to 1080 hp (805 kW) from the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version, the car can achieve quarter-mile times as low as 9.9 s on a consistent, repeatable basis. The company boasts that the sedan is able to achieve this with a package offering room for five passengers and class-leading interior and storage space.

“When the Lucid Air comes to market next spring, the world will see that we have developed the best electric vehicle technology possible by a wide margin and effectively created a new benchmark for EVs,” said Peter Rawlinson.

The foundation of the proprietary electric drivetrain is a line of powerful, compact, and ultra-efficient permanent magnet electric motors. Combining the motors with an inverter and an integrated transmission and differential creates a 900-V+ electric drive unit with a mass of just 163 lb (74 kg) and small enough to fit inside a standard airline carry-on roller bag.

Each drive unit packs over 650 hp (485 kW), with a leading power density on 41 hp/L (31 kW/L). The compactness allows for one, two, or even three units to be used in the Air. The drive units are said to be 45% lighter, up to 59% more powerful, and (for their power) 2.5 times more volumetrically compact than those of the closest competitor. The motors can spin up to 20,000 rpm, a significant performance advantage over the competition.

Enabling these class-leading electric motor characteristics are key Lucid innovations. Most notable is a new motor-winding technology to maximize power output and reduce electrical losses. An innovative cooling system more effectively removes heat from the stator winding, minimizing losses and boosting efficiency.

The compactness of the electric drive units enables the Space Concept vehicle design approach in part by fully integrating the transmission and differential—in an industry first to comprise a single rotational system that is lightweight and extremely efficient. A high-voltage, silicon-carbide MOSFET system is leveraged for inverters to maximize efficiency.

The ultra-high voltage architecture, combined with Lucid’s Wunderbox onboard charging unit, serves as the heart of the car’s electrical platform. The Wunderbox is a multi-function unit developed in-house to ensure compatibility with charging systems of differing voltages, specifically boost-voltage charging. The unit allows for charging at rates of up to 300 mi (483 km) in 20 min and up to 20 mi (32 km) in one minute when connected to a DC fast-charging network like that offered by Lucid partner Electrify America. It also enables an array of future-ready, bi-directional power delivery features from vehicle to grid (V2G) situations, for managing home power outages, to vehicle-to -vehicle (V2V) charging.