Silicon Valley based Lucid Motors is steadily working towards launching its first series production vehicle, the Lucid Air Electric Sedan. Just recently the new EV manufacturer returned to the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio, this time with their gloves off.
With virtually no restraints such as speed-limiting software in place, Lucid took their Alpha prototype on to the high-speed oval and managed to hit an insane 235 mph (378 km/h)! The top speed was set by a specific ‘speed’ prototype car, fitted with a roll cage and special parachute that could help the electric sedan slow down if needed.
The Lucid team said they couldn’t be more excited about the performance of their prototype EV. “The Air Alpha prototype performed beautifully. The car was perfectly stable in corners and on the straight, which is illustrated by the driver’s slow and steady inputs that can be seen in the accompanying video. The software update to the air suspension performed as expected and responded appropriately during cornering. The thermal levels of the powertrain, including the front motor, stayed within specification throughout the run.”
Although this has been a remarkable achievement, Lucid says that it is unlikely 235 mph will be the ultimate top speed of the production vehicle. According to them it was just a test that shows how uncompromising the Lucid Air will be when it comes to performance. The official performance stats are yet to be released.
