Unveiling the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire’s Jaw-Dropping Performance Metrics
The Lucid Air lineup is well-known as the longest-range electric vehicle available. Although much pricier than most consumers can afford, this darting, luxurious EV demands our attention. The new 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire completed testing in its production-spec version, providing impressive speed and quickness figures.
How does the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire production model compare?
Real-world testing provides specific times and tests that make us wonder if a car can achieve the manufacturer’s claimed performance figures. The Air Sapphire prototype achieved a sprint to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds when MotorTrend originally tested it. The production model achieved this same sprint time, but results differ once we get away from this highway-speed sprint.
The prototype version of this Lucid electric car finished the quarter-mile run in 9.2 seconds, while the production version was slightly slower at 9.3 seconds. This means the production model has the same quarter-mile time as the Tesla Model S Plaid, but the Tesla is quicker in the 60 mph run by 0.1 seconds.
Testing this new high-performance EV doesn’t end there
MotorTrend performs extensive tests on vehicles, including a half-mile run and a figure-eight track time. The production version of the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire completed the half-mile run in 14.5 seconds at 185.3 mph. This result is again close to the prototype, which finished the sprint in 14.4 seconds.
When tested at the figure-eight track, the production-spec Air Sapphire completed the run in 22.6 seconds. This time is better than the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing’s time of 23.4 seconds and the BMW M5 CS’s time of 23.2 seconds. The results put the Air Sapphire in the top ten at MotorTrend’s figure-eight test track.
How do you engage launch control in this Lucid EV?
The new Lucid Air Sapphire has three electric motors, one on the front axle and two for the rear. This combination delivers 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 lb-ft of torque to the road. Launch control is an important part of ensuring this car can sprint faster than most others on the track.
Compared to the complicated systems in some cars, engaging launch control is relatively easy in the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire. The car must be in Dragstrip mode at least 20 minutes before the sprint to allow the batteries to precondition. It’s also recommended to perform a few burnouts to warm the tires before stepping up to the line.
With warm tires and conditioned batteries, a driver must press the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously and wait for the “launch control activated” message to appear. After this, release the brake and hang on for an incredibly fast sprint.
Is this electric car a practical choice?
For those consumers with deep enough pockets to shell out $250,500 for a car, the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire could be a practical choice. This car is plush and comfortable inside while delivering a driving range of 427 miles when the batteries are full. A DC fast charger can add 159 miles of driving range in only 15 minutes, which makes it easy to take this car on a long road trip.
Still, the Air Sapphire is among the fastest sprint cars ever made. This makes it much more fun to take to the track than most electric vehicles.
