Lucid Motors launches RWD Air Pure variant, its most affordable trim that still offers tons of range
This morning, Lucid Motors has announced the launch and immediate start of sales for a new rear-wheel drive (RWD) variant of its Air Pure sedan. Today’s latest trim closes out the lineup of Lucid’s flagship EV, now offering a variety of trims from the RWD pure, the the tri-motor Sapphire. Don’t get it twisted, though, this “most affordable” Lucid model delivers more range than nearly any other EV on the market.
Today’s model announcement seemingly puts a bookend on the first iteration of the Lucid Air sedan – a journey that started over seven years ago when the EV prototype was first announced. Lucid’s initial dream of delivering the Air came to fruition in the fall of 2021, when the appropriately named Dream Editions of the sedan began rolling off its assembly lines in Arizona.
Those limited edition launch models have since been followed by the Air Grand Touring, Touring, and lowest tier Pure trims, not the mention the incoming speed demon Sapphire, and some cool limited edition color schemes in between.
As we await first deliveries (and hopefully test drives) of the pinnacle Air Sapphire model, Lucid has taken expanded its product offering in the opposite direction as well. While the Air Pure was always Lucid’s most affordable EV, it still costs over $80,000.
Today, Lucid has unveiled a more affordable RWD version of the Air Pure that is still outside of most consumers budgets, but hold the new crown as the American automaker’s lowest price EV. Did we mention it can deliver 410 miles of range on a single charge?
Lucid announces RWD Air Pure starting at $77,400
Yes, there might still be some sticker shock there, but remember this is Lucid Motors – a relatively young automaker that continues to wow consumers with its attention to luxury while easily delivering some of the most impressive EV technology on the market. You get what you pay for.
While Lucid does eventually plan to sell vehicles that are priced more friendly for the average consumer, it needs to sell the more expensive ones first to ensure it can keep the lights on and inevitable scale into the juggernaut it hopes we be someday. Tesla did it too, but it wasn’t easy… or cheap.
That said, today’s debut of Lucid’s RWD Air Pure is a step in that direction. At nearly $78,000, this sedan is still in the luxury echelon as a viable option for consumers with money ti blow, but it’s ever closer to Lucid offering an EV under $70k, then $60k and so on. Prospective customers that have the money should not be disappointed with the new Air Pure, despite it only having one motor.
It can still deliver 430 horsepower, accelerate 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, and replenish 150 miles of range after a mere 12 minutes on a DC fast charger. Oh, it also offers 410 miles of all electric range, on par with its dual motor counterpart and significantly better than its Touring sibling (384 mi. EPA range). Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson spoke to today’s announcement of the RWD variant:
The new Lucid Air Pure RWD has it all; style and technology, range and performance, space and practicality. I’m delighted that the most accessible Air surpasses the range of any other electric car from any other brand. With a starting price of $77,400, I believe that this new addition to the Lucid Air lineup is the car so many have been waiting for.
According to Lucid, the RWD Air Pure is already in production and available to purchase immediately. What do you think? Welcomed news, or are your eyes glazing over until you see those Lucid MSRPs go down even further?
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Aviation startup Electra made history last month when its EL2 became the first hybrid-electric Ultra Short Take-off and Landing (uSTOL) aircraft to successfully complete helicopter-like take-offs and landings at the Watertown International Airport.
Founded to provide affordable air travel without airports, emissions, or noise, Electra’s stated goal was to build an aircraft that could deliver on the promises of eVTOL aircraft at a significantly reduced cost compared to its more drone-like competitors. In that context, the demonstration at Watertown isn’t a publicity stunt, but part of concerted effort to validate Electra’s uSTOL performance under real-world conditions at a commercial airport — exactly the kind of place that regional operators, cargo carriers, and emergency responders actually fly in and out of.
Hitting those marks now will help Electra clear a path for FAA certification and prove that the company can deliver on the $9 billion worth of promises its made (so far).
“Electra is grateful to the team at Watertown International Airport for enabling this demonstration of the EL2’s Ultra Short capabilities in an off-runway capacity,” explains Tom Carto, director of market development at Electra. “Our Ultra Short aircraft will offer the potential to increase the use of general aviation airports and expand the capacity of larger hubs by enabling takeoffs and landings on ramps and taxiways instead of runways, feeding in regional connections without adding to runway congestion. These transformative and practical capabilities will open the door to Direct Aviation and point-to-point connections in a way that will make it easier for people to get from the where they are to where they want to go.”
The EL2’s innovative “blown lift” design features eight electric motors on the plane’s wings, enabling take-off and landing in as little as 150 feet.
Electra says the final version of its aircraft will be able operate from airfields as small as 300 x 100 ft (90 x 30 m), or about one-tenth the length of a standard airport runway. That means that, even if these eSTOL aircraft don’t open up quite as many spaces for air travel as eVTOLs, do, they’ll still be extremely flexible – and more than capable of operating from the roofs of many existing buildings and parking structures.
Obviously
And, of course, the Air Force wants one.
NOTE: in response to some of the comments, I want to point out that the Electra is capable of sustained, electric-only powered flight and uses the genset for remote operations/extended range. I should have made that clearer. This is arguably more EREV than EV.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Electra; via Oswego County Business.
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The US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) closed a $1 billion loan to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania.
The money is being loaned to Constellation Energy Generation, which is renaming the 835 megawatt (MW) Three Mile Island Unit 1 the Crane Clean Energy Center. Constellation said in September 2024 that it would restart the reactor under a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which needs more clean power to feed its growing data-center demand.
The project is estimated to cost around $1.6 billion, and the DOE says the project will create around 600 jobs. The reactor is expected to start generating power again in 2027.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 (in the foreground in the photo above) went offline in 2019 because it could no longer compete with cheaper natural gas, but it wasn’t decommissioned. It’s capable of powering the equivalent of approximately 800,000 homes. It’s on the same site as the Unit 2 reactor (in the background in the photo above) that went into partial nuclear meltdown in 1979, and is known as the worst commercial nuclear accident in US history.
When asked about the loan’s timing, Greg Beard, senior adviser to the Loan Programs Office, told reporters on a call that it would “lower the cost of capital and make power cheaper for those PJM [Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland] ratepayers.” Data centers are driving up electricity costs for consumers.
Read more: DOE props up dying coal with $625M days after Wright mocks clean energy subsidies
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An affordable Bronco EV? Not for those in the US. Ford opened orders for the electric Bronco in China, starting at under $33,000.
Ford Bronco electric pre-orders open at under $33,000
Ford announced the All-Wheel Drive electric SUV is officially open for pre-sale on Tuesday, starting at RMB 229,800 ($32,300).
The electric Bronco is available in pure electric (EV) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) options. It’s offered in three variants, priced from RMB 229,800 ($32,300) to RMB 272,800 ($38,400).
All models are All Wheel Drive, while the pure electric version costs an extra 10,000 yuan ($1,400). Ford is offering pre-sale buyers some pretty sweet benefits, including a camping experience package (with an added roof tent), a Mountain Kitchen Multi-Function Tailgate gift, an overnight stay package (for your vehicle), and more.
The electric Ford Bronco is about the same size as the standard 4-door version sold in the US at 5,025 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,815 mm tall.
Although it may look the same, the EV version draws power from a 105.4 kWh LFP battery pack from BYD’s FinFreams, providing up to 650 km (404 miles) CLTC driving range.
It’s equipped with two electric motors, one in the front and the other in the rear, producing a combined 445 horsepower (332 kW).
The EREV version combines a 43.7 kWh battery with a 1.5T engine, delivering a pure-electric range of 220 km (137 miles) and a combined CLTC driving range of 1,220 km (758 miles).
Some of the higher trims feature Ford’s Fuyu ADAS system, developed exclusively for buyers in China with a roof-mounted LiDAR and over 30 sensors and cameras. It even features a cool “off-road logbook” that shows drivers over 20 popular routes across China.
The interior is custom-tailored for Chinese buyers with a 15.6″ central infotainment and a smaller driver display screen. It also offers a massive 70″ AR head-up display (HUD).
Unlike the Ford vehicles we’re accustomed to seeing, the electric Bronco includes a 7.5L refrigerator in the center console.
The AWD electric SUV is coming at a critical time as Ford aims to revamp its business in China. Ford is working with local partners on new technologies, designs, and powertrain ideas for global markets.
Ford’s sales in China are down by over 14% through October this year, but new electrified vehicles, including the Bronco, are expected to help turn things around. Ford’s lineup in China mainly consists of gas-powered vehicles, which have quickly fallen out of favor with buyers shifting to more advanced, more efficient, and often lower-priced domestic EVs.
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