Tesla might finally be taking the Lucid Air seriously as a potential challenger to its luxury electric car dominance. Evidence suggests that Tesla has been testing a Lucid Air, something that is quite unusual for Tesla. While other electric car manufacturers are often known to buy Tesla cars for testing, the leading electric vehicle maker typically benchmarks against itself.

Tesla vehicles are often pitted against the fastest gas-powered cars and in most cases, Tesla wins speed tests easily. The Model S Plaid reached 60 miles per hour in less than two seconds, making it an incredibly fast car. Tesla has also placed its yet-to-be-released Cybertruck back to back with a Ford F-150 in a tug-of-war. Even though the Cybertruck was pulling uphill, it could drag the F-150 behind it while Ford's tires were smoking. Distance is another matter, and in a grueling distance race, Tesla would likely need to stop and recharge, falling woefully behind.

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The relevance of these head-to-head or back-to-back tests is easy to question when applied to everyday life. However, they do help highlight the strengths of various types of vehicles. Tesla's battery-powered electric motor has plenty of advantages over a fossil-fuel engine. The more interesting challenge is how Tesla cars stand up to newer electric cars, and plenty are arriving and becoming established. Tesla is bold and confident but perhaps not foolhardy enough to dismiss the threat posed by the Lucid Air, a luxury electric car with a massive range of over 500 miles. The Model S reaches about 400 miles on a full battery. Perhaps that is why a Lucid Air was on the test track at Telsa's Fremont factory, as captured in a drone video posted by the YouTube channel Met God in Wilderness. The video notes that the factory was unusually quiet on that day, perhaps hoping to keep the testing under wraps.

Tesla Model S Vs. Lucid Air

EV Cars Battle

Lucid's top luxury vehicle, the Lucid Air Dream Edition, sells for $169,900, but the base model is just $77,400. Tesla's Model S starts at $79,990 and climbs to $129,990 for the Plaid model. In both cases, these cars are not meant to be sold in high volume. That means prices are not as critical of an issue as other details. A luxury car typically offers excellent performance, but for sports car appeal, a different type of vehicle is made. For Tesla, that's the Roadster which hasn't been updated for several years. Lucid hasn't made a sports car yet, focusing instead on satisfying the EV luxury market.

In terms of luxury, Tesla's Model S Plaid is very nice but faces a stiff challenge from the Lucid Air Dream Machine, which boasts a much longer range on a full battery, a zero to 60 speed that's nearly as fast as Tesla's at 2.5 seconds, and an arguably more stylish appearance. Tesla has the advantage of being more established and having a vast number of Supercharger stations that offer incredibly fast charging. However, Lucid is generally considered the more luxurious car, and its longer range reduces concerns about fast charging availability and speed. This close matchup explains why Tesla might be taking Lucid more seriously recently.

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Source: Met God in Wilderness/YouTube