Tesla has been the reigning and defending champion for more than a decade in terms of electric vehicles but has it finally met its match in Lucid Motors? The start-up company offers new luxury EVs with promising characteristics and better styling.
Is Lucid the Tesla killer?
No–at least Tesla owners don’t think so. But not because of rational reasons as much as because of their loyalty to the Tesla brand. We think otherwise, so read on to see how we break down what’s getting to be the big EV smackdown between the two giants in this space.
What Our Tesla Poll says about Lucid vs Tesla (>80 responses)
In a recent poll, we asked Tesla owners whether they think Lucid is the Tesla killer? Unshockingly, the results showcased a whopping percentage of Tesla owners undermining Lucid and its capability to even be at par with Tesla. Below is the pie chart based on the poll results.
Of course, this poll does not truly decide the fate of Lucid Motors. Most if not all respondents have never tested a Lucid in their lives but it gives a closer look at how Tesla owners feel about Lucid.
If you want to learn more about the so-called Tesla killer then continue reading along. The following data are based on facts and reviews.
6 Reasons Why Lucid is Better than Tesla
For more than a decade, Tesla has ruled over the EV industry as no other company can match the tech, speed, and popularity of the Elon Musk-owned corporation. However, a new challenger is seeming to go toe-to-toe with Tesla. Lucid Motors has emerged as one of the most competitive EV companies that can match up or even be better than Tesla. Here are 5 reasons why it is better than the reigning champion.
1. Longer Range
Lucid Motors may be facing the very daunting task of toppling Tesla because the company is still an EV start-up that has yet to convince existing and potential EV owners. Being called the “Tesla killer” may not be as far off as most people think. One of the most important considerations that EV owners look out for is range. This factors in with range anxiety, which is having to worry about getting to a destination without losing battery.
Lucid has showcased their mettle in terms of range and seems to offer Tesla a run for their money. Lucid has claimed that their Air Dream Edition, which is their first-ever vehicle, can reach up to 517 miles with a fully charged battery. That already offers an advantage of more than 100 miles than what the Tesla Model S can offer. Take note that the Model S has been the most dominant EV when it comes to range.
Motor Trend drove 445 miles with a Lucid Air traveling from LA to the Bay Area with just a single charge and there were even 30 miles of range left. The outlet drove with the CEO Peter Rawlinson of Lucid with an identical EV and showed 72 miles left with the charge. That added up to 517 miles of total range. With this advantage, Lucid has already showcased the potential of challenging Tesla.
2. Bi-directional Charging
Among the most standout features of the Lucid Air sedan is its proposed support for bi-directional charging. This will help facilitate V2V or vehicle-to-vehicle and V2G or vehicle-to-grid charging. When an electric vehicle runs out of charge, the typical thing to do is to locate the nearest charger. EV batteries usually weigh more than 1,000 pounds and bringing that battery would be challenging for most people. The idea of charging one EV to another EV offers a lot of promise, especially during incidents of emergency. At the moment, Tesla has no option like this.
3. Better Efficiency
Efficiency holds so much value when it comes to electric vehicles. Measured either by miles per kilowatt-hour (mi/kWh) or watt-hours per mile (Wh/mi), range and charging speed relies so much on the efficiency of an EV. Better efficiency equates to a longer range. Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson has claimed that the Lucid Air can perform up to more than 4.5 mi/kWh. This wins over other EVs, especially the Tesla Model S which only performs up to 4 mi/kWh.
4. Smaller Drive Unit
Lucid has emphasized the importance of miniaturizing their drive units that are composed of a permanent magnet motor, transmission, and a power inverter. The company has claimed to produce an improved power-to-weight ratio that is measured via horsepower per kilogram(hp/kg). Lucid Air’s drive unit is reported to have a 9 hp/kg ratio while other EVs such as Tesla only offer 3 hp/kg or below. Take note that a smaller drive unit offers more space for the compartment or other components.
5. 900 Volt Architecture
The charging speed for a Tesla can vary depending on multiple circumstances. However, Lucid vehicles will have a faster-charging capability than Tesla vehicles because Lucid uses the second-generation 900-volt architecture. Tesla only uses the first generation 400 volt architecture. That 900-volt architecture makes Lucid the fastest charging EV in the world as it can offer up to 20 miles per minute of charging. This can translate into 300 miles of range in only 20 minutes of charging. That’s just super quick! Unless Tesla converts into the 900-volt architecture, Lucid holds this very distinct advantage.
6. Buying Incentives
Based on current federal regulations, US EV buyers get a $7,500 Federal Tax credit because it is a new manufacturer of electric vehicles. Tesla buyers, on the other hand, do not get this incentive as this expires for manufacturers who ship more than 200,000 cars (which Tesla has done already).
6 Reasons Why Tesla is Better than Lucid
Since 2003, Tesla has been at the forefront when it comes to electric vehicles and no other brand has toppled the company from the top spot. Tesla has been the revolutionary company that has made EVs so popular amongst vehicle owners.
1. Supercharger Network
The number one advantage of Tesla over Lucid is their vast supercharger network. There are more than 25,000 superchargers all over the world. The 25,000 Supercharger stalls are from more than 2,700 Supercharger stations. As of September 30th of this year, there are 1,146 Tesla Superchargers in the United States. Among all of these states, the top three that have the most superchargers are California, Florida, and New York. In California, there are 240 locations. Florida has 69 supercharger locations while New York has 57 supercharger stations.
This statistic alone lords over Lucid’s aspirations. As of now, this has not been toppled by any other competition as Tesla has grown globally through the years. If Lucid wants to take the top spot from Tesla, this is one hurdle that they need to overcome. Beating Tesla at this game requires immediate availability as Tesla continues to add more Superstations. Lucid has a lot of catching up to do unless they come up with better options for their future users.
2. Performance
Of all the electric vehicles, Tesla has been the best in terms of performance. A lot of Tesla owners have cited that aside from the technology of Teslas, their reason for purchasing one is the speed. According to a comparative table from the Inside EVs website, Tesla still leads in terms of speed. The Tesla Model S Plaid can perform 1.99s at 0-60mph and get a top speed of 200mph.
The Tesla Model S Plaid showcases a faster acceleration compared to Lucid Air as the Air takes 2.5 seconds longer to reach 60 miles per hour. The 2.5 seconds acceleration is already super fast compared to other luxury EVs but still Tesla ups the ante to 1.99 seconds. For those wanting to purchase an EV with great consideration for speed, the Tesla Model S Plaid holds the title of the fastest in acceleration.
3. Price
Below are the price points of the different Tesla models:
- Tesla Model S Long Range – $83,740
- Tesla Model S Plaid – $123,740
- Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus – $36,940
- Tesla Model 3 Long Range – $44,940
- Tesla Model 3 Performance – $52,940
- Tesla Model X Long Range – $93,940
- Tesla Model X Plaid – $113,940
- Tesla Model Y Long Range – $46,940
- Tesla Model Y Performance – $56,940
When it comes to price, Lucid has the cheaper option but when you think about future add-ons and potential trims, the value that Tesla offers still wins over this consideration. Again, Tesla has a proven system, support service, and technology. EV owners have more experience in dealing with Tesla service costs. Lucid is at a disadvantage because the public still has no concrete clue on other costs that other services may entail.
4. Proven and Tested
Tesla is the first-ever successful EV company and has fully established itself as the premier choice among all-electric vehicle brands. With so many years of experience in the industry, any aspiring EV owner could count on Tesla as their choice of investment. Lucid has not yet proven anything in terms of quality, service, and even support while Tesla is more than a decade ahead on this consideration. Would you entrust your money to a newcomer without any experience or to a company that has established the groundwork and the standards for what premier EVs are?
Through the years, Tesla has learned from past lessons and has tried to improve with each new model that they release. Lucid’s numbers are pure statistics from test drives and assumptions but all in all, the true test should be when their cars are already released and people start using them regularly. No one can fully assure all of Lucid’s claims at this point. On the other hand, Tesla has gone through it all.
Despite other luxury brands producing EVs themselves, Tesla has remained the number one choice. Even their stocks are on the upward trend. This just proves that more and more people are counting on and trusting the brand. In addition, Tesla has proven time and again their worth in the auto industry. Meanwhile, Lucid still has a lot of skeptics. At this stage in the game, the comparison between Tesla and Lucid can still be considered as widely one-sided on this aspect.
5. Established Support Network for Servicing
Due to more than a decade of existence and being the leader in the EV industry, Tesla has this very clear advantage over Lucid. Tesla has a proven and tested support network that has years of experience in servicing. The majority of Tesla owners have commended the support network of Tesla not just in the United States but all over the world. In addition, Tesla has 24/7 roadside assistance available 365 days a year.
Lucid is relatively new and mass usage of their vehicles won’t be possible anytime soon. This will also hamper their ability to establish a reliable support network for servicing. Getting the facts and the numbers from owners who experienced good or bad support will only start as soon as the Lucid EVs are already out there with the future Lucid users. Anything before that will be pure speculation. In this Lucid vs Tesla aspect, Tesla takes the point.
6. Most likely to develop the best self-driving option
Tesla’s experience in the field gives it a better advantage in developing better technology. The company has been trying to push this technology for years. They are already offering the dubbed full self-driving via a subscription basis only for the higher levels. Tesla will require a one-time payment worth $10,000.
The stock of Tesla (TSLA) rose by 6% over the past 30 days. The company exceeded what analysts projected as Tesla delivered more vehicles. The rolling out of the latest version of the self-driving software has affected the increase in investor sentiment.
Key takeaways: Lucid vs Tesla
If you have seen or read news about Lucid being the Tesla killer, hold your horses down. Tesla is way too good to be just toppled over by a new startup in the EV industry. Some numbers might be in Lucid’s favor but there are lots of other factors that should be considered before even declaring Lucid as the so-called ‘Tesla Killer’. Do not forget how Tesla laid the groundwork to make electric vehicles more popular and more useful to the public. Tesla has overcome the speculations and has exceeded a lot of people’s expectations.
Meanwhile, Lucid is still considered a newcomer in the industry, and the claims and statistics from test drives may not serve as enough for potential and even existing EV owners to jump ship and ride the hype. The 6 advantages mentioned above are worth noting. Lucid’s actions are commendable as they want to improve on some aspects that they believe Tesla has become stale, such as being open to bi-directional charging and the utilization of the 900-volt architecture. If anything, this Lucid vs Tesla head-to-head, the consumers are the winners in this competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lucid vs Tesla price | How does each model compare?
Lucid Price Points
- Air Pure – $77,400
- Air Touring – $95,000
- Air Grand Touring – $139,000
- Air Dream Edition – $169,000
Tesla Price Points
- Tesla Model S Long Range – $83,740
- Tesla Model S Plaid – $123,740
- Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus – $36,940
- Tesla Model 3 Long Range – $44,940
- Tesla Model 3 Performance – $52,940
- Tesla Model X Long Range – $93,940
- Tesla Model X Plaid – $113,940
- Tesla Model Y Long Range – $46,940
- Tesla Model Y Performance – $56,940
How many cars has Tesla sold to date?
Source:https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/tesla-us-sales-figures/#growth
Is Lucid an American company?
Yes, Lucid is an American company. It was previously known as Atieva and was founded back in 2007. Their headquarters is in Newark, California which is near Silicon Valley. Formerly focusing on batteries and electric powertrains for other brands, Atieva has accumulated more than 50 patents in the United States alone.
In October of 2016, Atieva announced their rebranding as Lucid Motors. A 590-acre lot at Casa Grande, Arizona was chosen to be their factory location as they shifted their plans in producing all-electric luxury vehicles.
In September of 2018, Lucid announced it was in talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and a funding investment of more than $1 billion. This may seem to be the reason why until today, some people question whether Lucid is an American company or not.
The current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lucid Motors is Peter Rawlinson. He previously worked for Tesla as he held the position of VP of Vehicle Engineering and Chief Engineer of the Tesla Model S. This fun fact adds up to the Lucid vs Tesla conversation.
Conclusion
If anything, the consumers are the winners in this competition. With Lucid proposing technology that can match Tesla’s existing capabilities, the people will have a win-win situation. As per the poll at the beginning of this article, current Tesla owners doubt Lucid and the company’s capability to be at par or even win against Tesla. This may not just be the opinion of Tesla owners but may also be of a lot of people. Why? Well, Lucid has not proven anything yet, especially when it comes to mass testing or mass usage.
People won’t completely trust the numbers unless there are enough tests or references to prove them otherwise. This is where Tesla has a huge advantage over Lucid. For so many years, Tesla has been the number one brand to beat. It has been on top for so many reasons. The performance, the technology, the supercharger quantity all over the world, are vital for EV owners. The experience, the support system, and the happy customers throughout the years make Tesla very hard to kill.
Only game-changing advancements, systems, or even prices can give Tesla a true run for their money. For now, at least there is healthy competition that could help push Tesla to keep giving their best for the customers.
With an easy-to-understand and no-nonsense style, Michael writes to educate readers who are considering their first EV purchase or those looking to get the most fun and value out of their Tesla, Leaf, Volt or other electric vehicle.
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