A recent report indicated that the Lucid Air turned in some impressive track times at the legendary Laguna Seca road track in Northern California. The published report indicated that this new concept car eclipsed a lap record set by the Jaguar I-Pace EV and was much quicker than several conventionally-powered sports cars as well.
The Lucid Air is a concept car that has been in development and testing mode for quite some time. Initial performance testing has indicated an amazing 2.5-second zero to 60 mph time – and officially-tested 235 mph top speed around a track oval. That 0-60 time is on par with the Bugatti Chiron. But, what really impressed engineers and automotive enthusiasts onsite was this sporty electrical powered vehicle recorded the quickest EV lap time at Laguna Seca outside of Monterey.
Driven by a Lucid vehicle dynamics and chassis engineer, the Air negotiated the road course in a blistering 1:41.67, which is about seven-seconds quicker than the Jaguar I-Pace SUV – which previously held the record. The lap time is even quicker than the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S and Jaguar F-Type R Coupe.
However, there are a few important details to consider. This track-only version of the Lucid Air received some significant upgrades and mods such as removing the interior for a six-point roll cage and fire-safety system. It was also upgraded with high-performance racing brakes, high-boiling point brake fluid, and some other non-disclosed details. Another important item to remember is that the Lucid Air is not currently in production or has been officially released – which the Jaguar I-Pace current can claim.
Those details aside, the Lucid Air is not claiming the official record for an EV vehicle – as it was a simple test session to determine what the car was capable of in a certain trim. It is also important to disclose that the Jag’s current EV record at Laguna Seca was driven by a professional race car driver – while an engineer from Lucid was the lucky driver of this test session.
Tags: Electric Cars, Records