Electric cars are here to stay, and they have been for some time now. However, there is one sticking point that is still deterring many ICE fans from switching over to the electric side, and that is range anxiety. While some manufacturers continue to focus on small city cars with humble ranges, others are busy looking to further the tech available and provide huge ranges.
One such brand is Lucid Motors, and by incorporating tech from their performance models into their luxurious sedans, they've been able to put forward for sale the highest-range EV currently on sale. If you're wondering what it might cost to run and maintain one, we've got all the answers right here.
HotCars has collected data, specs, and pricing on the highest-range EV in 2024 from the EPA and Lucid Motors. Further supporting data has been sourced from both Motor Trend and TopSpeed, in order to establish ownership costs.
The Lucid Air is showing Tesla the way, with incredible styling, innovative features and a very luxurious interior.
Launching in 2021, ready for the 2022 model year, Lucid had bold goals to interrupt the EV space. Tesla had been dominating the segment for too long, it was about time someone took them on at their own game, by offering the American public a high-performance EV that also ticked the same luxurious and practical boxes that Tesla's range does.
As part of the Lucid Air range, the Grand Touring was offered. Sitting towards the top of the model range, losing out only to the hypercar-rivaling Air Sapphire model, the Grand Touring offers owners the perfect mix of performance, practicality, luxury, and range. The latter of those sought-after traits is what we'll be looking to focus in on here, as the Air Grand Touring boasts a range that is now the envy of all EV manufacturers in 2024.
Lucid are rightly proud of the fact that their Air Grand Touring is the first EV in America to offer over an EPA-approved 500 miles of range. Specifically, 516 miles of range, which is more than enough to appease the fears of even the most range-anxious customer.
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Electric cars usually suffer in the winter, as cold weather saps power away from the battery, resulting in a lower range. That's more of an annoyance instead of a genuine concern for cars with huge ranges, but it can result in real-world issues too, for instance, on longer commutes or road trips.
Lucid has been hard at work squashing these fears for their Air Grand Touring customers, by borrowing tech from the flagship 1,234 horsepower Sapphire model. It's the heat pump that has been borrowed, a useful bit of tech that will ensure the Grand Touring keeps that monstrous 516-mile range, even in frosty climates.
Electric cars are inherently cheaper to maintain than their ICE cousins, but this model will cost you the least over 10 years.
Having only launched two short years ago, there isn't a whole lot of data available on exactly how much it costs to run and maintain a Lucid Air Grand Touring. However, one thing's for sure, even though you don't need to factor in regular servicing costs as you would an ICE model, you will need to think about these regular costs.
The Air Grand Touring packs a potent 819 horsepower punch, so, depending on how heavy your right foot is, you're going to be tearing through tires and brakes like they're going out of fashion. With 20" wheels under those arches, the tires won't come cheap either. Furthermore, the Grand Touring uses 420mm rotors up-front, and 390mm rotors on the back, which are respectively paired with 10 and 4-piston calipers. So, if you're leaning on the brakes too hard and too often, expect a serious bill.
In addition to that, one of our sister sites, TopSpeed, did the math and established that a Lucid Air Grand Touring loses on average 21.5% of its value in the first year, which equates to a staggering $27,280. While that's not a cost you need to physically pay out, it could be a tough pill to swallow as and when the time comes to sell. Having said that, no brand-new car, EV or ICE, is excluded from the painful punch of depreciation.
We're very much in the midst of our favorite muscle cars calling time on their existence. As an example, the Chevy Camaro's '24 model year will be its last hurrah. What's to come in its place? There's no official word on that yet, but it's more than likely to be succeeded by an electric muscle car. And that's brought about a lot of criticism, understandably. But it could just be the beginning of something quite special, if done right. Keeping the obvious advantages of electric cars in mind, like instant torque and blistering acceleration, an upcoming electric muscle car would need to take car of the theatrical side of things (read: it needs to be noisy) somehow. It's not an implausible ask, either. Look at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. If every carmaker can engineer the fun back into their upcoming muscle cars, it won't be a hard ask to get adoption rates up. If you think there's more to a muscle car, we'd love to know what's on your mind!
There is a heap of good news for Lucid owners though, as choosing one in place of an ICE car will provide you with a few ways in which you can save some serious money. First off, the model is eligible for the EV tax credits scheme, which provides purchasers with a healthy $7,500 discount from the asking price.
Secondly, Lucid now offers two years of complimentary maintenance, which is in addition to their standard new vehicle warranty package. With no fluids to refresh and fewer belts to change, the list of work required by Lucid technicians is quite short, but nevertheless, these are the tasks they will complete as part of the complimentary inspections:
Motor Trend has enjoyed the pleasure of becoming comfortable and acquainted with the Grand Touring Performance, a 1,050 horsepower version of the 516-mile range model covered in this article. Over thousands of miles, the average cost-per-mile experienced by them is $0.07. Certainly not expensive, and far cheaper than fueling up a high-performance ICE car.
The new Lucid Gravity will offer over 440 miles of range in an electric SUV package that can accommodate up to seven passengers.
Lucid asks keen customers for $110,900 in exchange for one of their 2024 Air Grand Touring models, which is certainly no small sum, but it's not an excessive amount for such a complete and potent car. Few models can match the luxury, performance and indeed range, especially not for that price point.
It's likely most would choose to lease the Lucid, and currently, the price offered is $849 per month, with just $7,349 required at signing. According to Lucid, these prices are set to rise quite significantly for 2025, so seemingly now is the time to act.
Sources: TopSpeed, CarBuzz, Motor Trend, Lucid Motors, Fuel Economy
2024-07-26T11:09:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd