Topics
Latest
AI
Amazon
Image Credits:Rebecca Bellan
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Image Credits:Rebecca Bellan
Cloud Computing
Commerce Department
Crypto
Image Credits:Lucid
enterprisingness
EVs
Fintech
Image Credits:Rebecca Bellan
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Image Credits:Lucid
Government & Policy
computer hardware
Image Credits:Lucid
layoff
Media & Entertainment
Image Credits:Lucid
Meta
Microsoft
concealment
Robotics
security measures
Social
infinite
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
speculation
More from TechCrunch
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Podcasts
picture
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
get hold of Us
The all - galvanising 2025 Lucid Air Pure is a dreamy , aphrodisiac car that ’s no less voluptuary for being the tacky trim in Lucid ’s Air lineup . I felt fancy and discerning driving around , but in an understated means — as if I were wear designer sweatpants .
But does fancy adequate value ? I spent about 10 days repulse the Air Pure on two dissimilar coasts to find out . And the TL;DR is : Yes , but only if those over - the - air update keep come through .
The Air Pure is a technical dreamboat in many invisible “ under the hood ” ways — like its ultra - effective electric motor . And its roommate , aura - tight Department of the Interior coupled with a high - ending strait system just put you in a good humor .
It ’s the kind of car you require to expend time in , specially if Lucid keeps working to retell on its tech capability . The railway car ’s many eminent - tech feature warrant that not - quite - affordable $ 69,900 price tag . However , I found there was still room for improvement , peculiarly in Lucid ’s voice assistant and DreamDrive ripe equipment driver - aid system of rules . The good news is that even these feature article have seen significant progress fromearlier iterations .
Nuts and bolts
With an estimated 420 miles of scope and a single rear end - mount motor with 430 horsepower , theLucid Air Pureis a compelling alternative to theTesla Model S , which has a 402 - Admiralty mile range in the all - wheel - driving version and starts at $ 79,990 . During one of my mental test drives , I comfortably travel from San Francisco to Salinas and back , with extra city driving , all without needing to recharge . Lucid provided TechCrunch with the Air Pure on both function .
For speedy top - ups , the Air Pure supports flying charging , append 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes at Stations of the Cross owned by ChargePoint , EVgo , and Electrify America . Starting in 2025 , Lucid owners will also get ahead access to Tesla ’s internet , though this will require an adapter . While Lucid ’s upcomingGravity SUVwill feature Tesla ’s NACS port from Clarence Day one , the automaker has n’t yet said whether succeeding Air models will follow case .
sit down low on 19 - inch wheels , the Air Pure is as streamlined as it looks with an impressive drag coefficient of 0.197 .
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
When you approach the car , the electrical motor and infotainment system mechanically turn on and the flush door handles pop out . The front and back bar lights also clear up in a fluid question that reach out outwards like rippling water , which sets the tone for the high - technical school , yet understated vibration .
The Lucid signature lighting is instantly recognizable , and the whole design come together in a sleek , advanced “ California New Money ” way .
Expansive and tech-focused
sit down in a Lucid Air Pure is a sensory experience . You experience like you’re able to catch one’s breath in the driver ’s seat with 40 inches of headroom and 45.4 column inch of branch way , and I find myself endure my hands over the regalia of fabrics and textiles used on the interior . Even the oval - shaped steering wheel with its ergonomic grip experience decent in the medallion .
TheAir Purehas an ambient tier of dissonance like a easygoing electric humming that ’s signify to simulate the strait of an engine , lend to its futuristic , spaceship vibes .
The 34 - in curved glass cockpit float just behind the steering wheel with three distinct zones of controller . On the left hand , a touchscreen manages quick - access functions like the charge port and windscreen deicer . The pith display shows critical drive information — speed , gear wheel , range , and DreamDrive visualizations . On the right hand , you ’ll find connectivity and amusement options , admit Apple CarPlay integration , aboriginal navigation , media , and communicating .
Below this , the 12.5 - inch Pilot Panel sits above the center console table . This upright screen , which can be tucked off for extra storage , do by climate control , parking , and driver preferences . It also automatically displays a 360 - degree camera prospect when navigating tight space .
adaptation like the rear and sideview mirrors are only accessible through the Pilot Panel , which some might loathe . I did n’t mind , as it ’s a one - time frame-up . Another standout is the ability to conform lumbar support and , for an extra $ 7,500 , elevate to get a massager and ventilated hind end — a lavishness I ’d absolutely splurge on .
I appreciated Lucid ’s decision to keep some physical control . Above the Pilot Panel are tactile knob for adjust the temperature and mass . The direction bike also have physical buttons to plunge the advanced equipment driver - assistance organisation , change a birdcall , and activate the voice help .
The center console features two ballyhoo for USB - C and Lightning cables and a sliding top to keep items impregnable .
The backseat was also generous with 39 inch of headroom and 37.6 inches of legroom , something friends and sept who were seated in the back remark on . Backseat passengers also have their own short touch screen where they can control things like tush heating and air temperature , and they can summon or ostracize the awning .
While we ’re on the depicted object of space , the trunk offer 22.1 cubic feet of warehousing , and the frunk has 10 cubic - base of space . All in all , Lucid overhaul the Costco rill test .
The Lucid Assistant — a swing and a miss
Lucid primitively launch its Pure serial with Amazon ’s Alexa powering voice assist , and it was n’t very proficient . Within the last couple of months , Lucid has originate rolling out a replacing — a bloodless - labeled version that looks like fromSoundHound AI . Lucid would n’t confirm .
The Lucid Assistant is n’t very secure either . But really , is there a car voice assistant that doesn’tsometimes make you want to scream ? The Lucid Assistant can handle mastery and do doubt about very specific car things . You could ask it for the weather , get directions to the dear charging post , and overlook it to turn up the seat heat .
When it come to music command , those were limited . The Assistant could , say , turn on Spotify and even represent certain songs , but it often did n’t recognize what I demand for . I also could n’t get it to toy a eccentric of music . For model , in a moment of panicked indecision , I asked it to trifle Top 40 . Suddenly Sublime ’s “ 40 oz . to Freedom ” was playing through the speakers . I ’m not kvetch , but it was n’t what I require for .
And while we ’re on the subject of euphony , while the Dolby Atmos phone arrangement somehow happen upon the perfect counterpoise of bass voice , treble , and mid , the connectivity to medicine streaming services like Spotify was often spotty . The connection drop several fourth dimension , forget me to fumble with the pre - programmed Sirius XM options .
Native GPS and the Lucid app
A few Book on Lucid ’s aboriginal navigation system with custom routing . When compared to Waze or Apple Maps , it did n’t always seem to account for traffic , with ETA differentials sometimes as big as 20 minutes .
My eyes took some getting used to how Lucid ’s native organization manifested , too . Lucid exhibit the contiguous directions on the curving cockpit , with a prominent map below on the Panel archetype , and I found my eye jumping between the two screens .
The Lucid app was utterly fine . It work as it should to spread the tree trunk , unlock the car , give the charge port wine , scoot the lights , and see nearby chargers . It ’s not as sophisticated as Tesla ’s app , but I ask it will continue to improve .
Mature handling
The Lucid Air Pure is low to the ground ( and you really feel it when getting in and out ) , leave it a centered grippy tactile property as it take on turns . The acceleration is firm , although you do n’t get the same zippy cost increase as you might in a Tesla or the Ford Mustang Mach - E. Still , the car is no slouch , accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 indorsement . The suspension is also great — I scantily matte up any prominence in the route .
The Air Pure has three driveway modes accessible via the Pilot Panel : Smooth , Swift , and Sprint . Smooth is loose for everyday driving . Swift gives it a bit more oomph for when you ’re keen to have a minuscule playfulness or are in a rushing on the main road , and Sprint is designed for “ advanced driver ” with “ maximum power and torque for myopic bursts of intense performance . ” I did n’t notice too much of a difference between the manner .
For those who also need more ascendancy over regenerative braking , you’re able to adjust those in your machine driver preferences , including turning on creep mode , which allows you to move without applying the accelerator .
So many cameras and sensors
The example year 2025 Lucid Air Pure comes received with 24 detector , including six cameras , infrared , ultrasonic , and microwave radar that are used to power Lucid ’s make of ADAS called DreamDrive Premium . This includes features like 3D environment - purview monitoring and blind - spot show , lane - departure admonition , automatic parking , adaptative cruise control , and a driver - monitor system for distrait and drowsy driving .
For an additional one - time fee of $ 2,500 , Lucid buyer can kick upstairs to the DreamDrive Pro , which up the number of sensors to 32 — including solid - state lidar , radar , ultrasonic sensors , and a walloping 13 television camera — and has a highway - assist feature that combines lane center and adaptive sail control .
The welfare in purchasing this characteristic and its accompanying ironware is n’t what it can do now , but the promise of what it can do in the future . This is all to say that while Lucid ’s DreamDrive still has a way of life to go , if you purchase the Pro ADAS , you ’ll have all the necessary hardware for Lucid to lend more automated driving capabilities via over - the - air updates in the future .
I found the visuals like the 3D surround - view monitoring , front and rearview visuals , and blind - spot detection helpful , if not a little consuming , when maneuvering tight space or switch lane .
I find the Highway help the most useful , peculiarly in stop - and - go dealings on California ’s main road . The lineament basically steers for you , as long as you remain within the same lane and at a pre - set velocity and trace distance . you could broach lane - change assist on the highway by long - beseech the turn signaling .
Deactivating Highway Assist was also unproblematic and smooth . Just bid the pasture brake pedal , and you ’re honorable – no weird jerk or unwieldy transitions , which has been an issue in previous software system edition .
Lucid vehicle outfit with the received DreamDrive or the Pro provide drowsy and distrait driver admonition , which only worked sometimes for me . The Air Pure monitor the driver via an infrared sensing element mounted at the top of the guidance column that catch the shape of your face and can recount if you are n’t face front . But it does n’t watch your optic , like other driver - monitoring systems . Which I suppose is good for secrecy and surveillance reason , but bad for actually monitor if someone has fall numb at the wheel .
I tested fate a few time while the car was in the highway - help mode , even closing my eyes for 30 full seconds . I also pretend to nod my head like I was falling asleep , looked down at my phone , and direct up stared out the windowpane . Eventually , the car did arrive at me with an aggressive , insistent alarum saying it had detected insecure drive , told me to take a break , and offered suggestions for nearby coffee berry shops . But those warnings amount a span of minutes after my experiments .
Finally , the Auto Park feature , which will glance over the area for nearby places to park . Sometimes it worked , and sometimes it whole failed to see useable parking spaces . I could never get it to parallel park for me , but it did manage to park in a lot by backing up into the space . The lineament promises to Auto Unpark for you , as well , but after check to the left and to the right , my Lucid could n’t quite get the knack of it .
An almost perfect EV
I really did bonk the Lucid , and if TechCrunch would only pay me two-fold my salary , I could see me and this railway car being very happy together . especially if Lucid continues to reiterate on the technical school and make improvements , as it has already done over the last three year .
