Lucid Motors doesn’t get as many headlines as Tesla or a lot of other electric car manufacturers that are trying to break into the segment. But, when it does, it’s usually for similar financial reasons. This time, though, Lucid Motors is in the news because of what its all-electric sedan, the Lucid Air, managed to accomplish. The company’s first foray into the electric car market managed to hit a top speed of 235 mph. Sure, it did it without a speed limiter, but any car that can push 235 mph is impressive, regardless of whether it’s an EV or not.

The real-world issues a lot of start-up electric car brands face often overshadows the products they’re offering. That’s why, in a perfect world, we’d love to see all these machines hit the road. The Lucid Air isn’t an exception to that. We already knew what it was capable of when it reached a top speed of 217 mph during software controlled tests. But, to see it hit 235 mph without any limiters in place is flat-out impressive.

Granted, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a fully unleashed Lucid Air come to life. Limiters are put in place for the specific reason of preventing damage to the car’s powertrain and overheating the battery packs. A lot of EV manufacturers, Tesla most notably, have this kind of software on their cars specifically for that reason. That’s why the Model S P100D, the car that sits at the top of Tesla’s food chain, only has a top speed of 155 mph. Speed limiters are party-poopers, but they’re necessary party-poopers that can help protect an EV from spreading itself too thin.

It’s also worth noting that if you watched the video of the Air splitting the wind in its top speed run, you might have noticed how spartan the car’s interior was. There’s a roll cage in it for safety reasons, but all the plush amenities that Lucid plans to offer are all noticeably absent. Put those in, and you’re looking at a much heavier car, one that will no doubt post a slower top speed than 235 mph.

Still, what Lucid Motors managed to achieve with a stripped down and free Lucid Air is indicative of the electric car’s potential. Let’s just hope that Lucid Motors can climb out of its own financial struggles — it’s reportedly working on a $700 million round of funding — to finally breathe some life into the Lucid Air. If the all-electric sedan is as good as it’s been hyped up to be, the least the brand can do is let us see it in action on the road.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Lucid Air.