Lucid Air Pure RWD edges closer to production ramp-up
When Lucid announced the new entry-level Air Pure trim last November, the California EV maker planned to begin deliveries the next month, in December. The company managed to sneak out a few units on the last day of 2022, but it looks like the time has come for wider distribution. AutoEvolution got a look at some electronic correspondence Lucid sent to waitlist customers about reserving the (relatively) frugal version of the sedan. The missive contains a few details we missed at the launch, like single-motor output. The comparison page on Lucid’s retail site says the Air Pure makes “up to 480 horsepower.” That’s the figure for the all-wheel-drive trim that requires spending $5,500 on top of the Pure’s $88,900 MSRP to install a second motor on the front axle. The standard version makes 430 horsepower as a rear-driver. Torque comes in at 406 pound-feet for the RWD variant; we don’t have a number yet for the AWD model.
At launch, Lucid said the AWD version ran the 0-to-60 dash in 3.8 seconds. The letter to prospective buyers says the RWD version manages the task in 4.4 seconds. EPA-estimated range for the AWD Pure when equipped with 19-inch wheels is 410 miles, the projected range given in the correspondence for the RWD Pure is 406 miles. The Pure can be optioned with the 20-inch Aero Lite wheels that higher trims like the Touring and Grand Touring come standard on, but is excluded from the 21-inchers that are optional on the other variants.
Those who place an order before June 30 of this year get one year of complimentary charging at Electrify America stations “for reasonable personal use,” which we’ll take as code for “don’t bogart the chargers.” Charging times might differ for RWD and AWD versions, however; the max 250-kW DC fast charging rate that can restore 200 miles of range in 15 minutes only applies to the AWD model. We don’t know the maximum rate for the RWD trim yet.
The letter is focused on the RWD trim, while Lucid’s retail configurator notes the pusher version is “Later Availability.” In fact, because of availability issues, anyone trying to configure an Air Pure at the retail site can’t get the price below $109,200 after destination thanks to mandated options. What will eventually be the standard Dreamdrive assistance suite, for instance, isn’t available yet, so tinkerers have to add the $10,000 Dreamdrive Pro. Those who didn’t put their names on the waitlist awhile ago likely have a bit more of a wait to get in an Air that’s less than six figures.
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