There’s no denying that the Lucid Air is one heck of a machine. Looks and comfort creatures aside, the Air is a serious performer. Recently, the Air covered the quarter-mile distance in just 9.9 seconds, thus becoming the first EV to break the sub-10-second barrier.

When EVs are heavy on performance, they generally tend to have low stamina; but not the Air. In almost all the trims, it delivers more than 400 miles on a single charge despite not having a very big battery pack. So, what has Lucid done to make the Air such an all-rounder?

What Powers The Lucid Air?

To start with, Lucid has underpinned the Air on a skateboard-style platform called LEAP (Lucid Electric Advanced Platform). The Air’s drivetrain was developed in-house, which comprises of powerful, compact, and ultra-efficient permanent magnet electric motors.

The output torque shouldn’t be confused with the torque at wheels, which is vastly different and isn’t announced yet.

The integrated electric motor, inverter, and transmission drive unit comprises:

-* Planetary Gear Housing

-* High-Voltage Continuous Wave Winding

-* Stator

-* Axial Jet Cooling Manifold

-* Rotor

-* Motor Housing

-* High-Voltage Inverter

-* Gear Reduction System

This integration allows for a single rotational system that is highly efficient and lightweight. How light, you ask? Well, it weighs merely 161 pounds and is “small enough to fit inside a standard airplane carry-on bag.”

Lucid also makes use of something known as a MOSFET system in its inverters. MOSFET stands for Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor and is used to switch or amplify voltages in circuits. This helps maximize efficiency, especially in real-world conditions, and is one of the reasons why Lucid has been able to closely match its own computer-modeled predictions.

How Fast Is The Lucid Air?

2021 Lucid Air
Lucid Motors
 

Top speed is rated at 168 mph. In the Grand Touring trim, it makes 800 ponies and takes three seconds from 0 to 60 mph. Here, too, it goes up to 168 mph. The Touring model generates 620 horsepower, which lets the car to sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. As for the quarter-mile times, the Touring model takes 11.4 seconds, the Grand Touring takes 10.8 seconds, whereas the Air Dream Edition takes just 9.9 seconds, making the Air the first EV to breach the sub-10-second barrier.