Lucid Air
Luxury electric sedan · 2021–present. This review has not established this model’s 2024 U.S. sales.
How it began
Lucid was born in 2007 in Silicon Valley as Atieva, an electric-vehicle battery-technology company founded by former Tesla vice president Bernard Tse and entrepreneur Sam Weng, according to TechCrunch’s original report and Rawlinson interview. In 2013 Peter Rawlinson joined as chief technology officer, an English engineer who had been chief engineer of the Tesla Model S and before that worked at Lotus and Jaguar; he led the Air's development and also served as CEO from April 2019 until his transition to a technical advisory role in February 2025.
It was designed in Silicon Valley, first in Menlo Park and then at the Newark, California headquarters. It is built at the AMP-1 plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, a 500-acre site chosen from more than 60 sites in 13 states and raised in about 12 months as the first purpose-built EV factory in North America. The original December 1, 2020 release announced a planned initial capacity of up to 30,000 vehicles annually. Every Air sold in the U.S. comes from there.
Atieva became Lucid Motors in October 2016 and showed the Air as a prototype soon after. The production version was unveiled on September 9, 2020, completion of the first factory phase was announced on December 1, 2020, and the first customers took delivery of their Air Dream Edition in October 2021, as a 2022 model.
Lucid means clear or clear-minded, and the company adopted it in 2016 when it left the Atieva name behind. Air follows the idea of lightness and open space inside. The sources we consulted do not document a more detailed official explanation of the name.
The idea was a luxury electric sedan with the outside size of a Mercedes E-Class and the inside room of an S-Class, possible because Lucid's electric motors are so compact. Rawlinson wanted to prove that range comes from efficiency, not from an oversized battery: more miles from every kilowatt-hour. To do it Lucid developed its motors, inverters, batteries and 900-volt electrical architecture in house. The declared goal was to beat Tesla at its own game.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 12022–2024 · Air (primera serie)
The 520-mile record
Photo: DestinationFearFan · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It was the brand's first car. Lucid unveiled the production version on September 9, 2020 in four versions: Air from under $80,000, Touring from $95,000, Grand Touring from $139,000 and Dream Edition at $169,000. The first Dream Editions were delivered in October 2021; the whole of 2021 added up to 125 cars. Then came the Grand Touring Performance, the Pure and, at the top, the 1,234 hp Sapphire. A DreamDrive system with 32 sensors, including one lidar, came standard or as an option.
The innovation. The 900-volt electrical architecture with miniaturized drive units and the integrated Wunderbox charger. On September 16, 2021 the EPA rated the Air Dream Edition Range at 520 miles, the highest figure ever given to an EV up to then and at least 100 miles more than its closest rival, with 933 hp and a 118 kWh battery. The Dream Edition Performance made 1,111 hp and the Grand Touring 516 miles from 112 kWh.
If you buy one usedExact NHTSA Lucid/Air queries saved on November3,2026 returned15campaigns for2022 and12for2023. Many include OTA software updates; others also require diagnosis or parts. The most relevant: the front strut snap ring could fail and drop the ride height suddenly (22V090, 2022 only); the high-voltage contactors could open unexpectedly and cut power to the motors (23V110, 2022–2023); the software could respond poorly to an inverter power module failure and leave the car without drive (23V523); a fault with adaptive cruise control on could cause a loss of drive power (24V076, 2022–2024, software 2.1.2 through 2.1.26); the high-voltage coolant heater could fail to defrost the windshield (24V011 and 24V495); and the rear seat heaters could overheat (23V708). Pull the recall list by VIN at nhtsa.gov and confirm the car runs the latest software. - Gen. 22025–present · Air (actualización 2025)
Five miles per kilowatt-hour
Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 2.0+ What changed. On July 16, 2024 Lucid introduced the 2025 Air with a heat pump standard across the range, control hardware with triple the processing power and double the memory, and the DreamDrive Premium driver-assistance package standard with 3D surround view. The lineup became Pure from $69,900 with 420 miles, Touring from $78,900 with up to 406 miles and all-wheel drive, and Grand Touring from $110,900 with 512 miles. For 2026 the Touring rose to 431 miles and prices to $70,900, $79,900 and $114,900; since July 31, 2025 all Air model years can use compatible Tesla Superchargers (V3 and later) with a Lucid-approved adapter.
The innovation. The 2025 Air Pure was, per Lucid, the first vehicle to reach 5.0 miles per kilowatt-hour, with a record 146 MPGe EPA rating and 420 miles of range from a battery of only 84 kWh. It is the proof of Rawlinson's thesis: more range from less battery, which also means less energy to put in at every charging stop.
If you buy one usedRecent recalls cluster on the rear-wheel-drive Pure. NHTSA lists a rear subframe wiring harness that was too short and could cut power to the rear drive unit (24V836, 2024–2025 Pure RWD); improperly secured half-shaft bolts that could let it disconnect from the drive unit (25V669 and its expansion 26V193, 2024–2026 Pure RWD); and a Gen 4 inverter that could be damaged by internal friction and cause a loss of drive power (26V309, 2024–2025 rear-wheel drive). Campaign25V670 covers certain2022–2025 Airs with software before2.8.0 for the rearview camera;26V017 covers certain2022–2026 cars with AD02 and software2.8.0–2.8.16. Campaign26V540 concerns exterior-lighting overcurrent protection on certain2022–2026 cars; Lucid advises parking outside away from structures until the remedy is completed. Check by VIN that the dealer completed the ones that need a workshop visit.
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