- New details have recently come out
about the Lucid Air, what some have called the Tesla killer.
And so I thought we should dive into those
and see how they compare against the Model S.
Hey thanks for joining me here on Teslanomics
where we decode the data behind Tesla,
a company that is changing our world
in so many ways it's hard to even keep
our heads wrapped around.
So each week what I do is I look
at some of the data behind this company
whether it be a car like we're gonna look at today
or an industry that they're disrupting
or even just how the company is doing financially.
And we just take a look at the numbers
to try to get a sense of what's really happening there
and less about appearances and speculation and that stuff
and more about the facts that we do have
or the things we can reliably estimate.
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So thanks for joining me here today
and let's dive into the data now.
So Lucid unveiled there car in December of 2016
at this big thing in Fremont, California
which is where the Tesla factory is.
I don't know if that was intentional or not.
And since then there haven't been
a lot of details coming out of their camp
and what's going on with their car.
So they're starting a new series called Clear the Air.
And they just released the first one of these
which has a lot of details about a new base model Lucid Air.
See before when they unveiled it and everything,
all the estimates and all the numbers circulating were
some were in the 150 thousand dollar range
or at least a hundred thousand plus.
So it wasn't taken too seriously
because this is really only for the super high end.
Now whereas Tesla is coming out with the Model 3
and even offering cheaper versions of the Model S
and preowned versions and all this.
So Tesla is really growing this market
and kind of dominating whereas they seem to come
in just the very tippy top of it.
And now with these new details though I think
that it's gonna be a much more competitive market which
for owners like you and I
and for the whole industry is actually a great thing.
So the range on these cars is
at the base model and what I'm looking at here
is just the base Model S, the 60,
compared to the new Lucid Air based model.
So we're looking at about 219 miles for the Tesla
versus 240 for the Lucid.
So the Lucid wins here but they've also reported
that they're gonna have a model
that will get up to 400 miles
and even at the highest Model S version
you get only up to 335 miles.
So they're winning kind of on both fronts.
Now it's fair to say though
that they haven't actually produced any of these cars
other than a few prototypes that, you know,
have been used in the marketing material.
So we'll see what it actually ends up with
once they once they actually release it.
And one of the factors I'm curious about
is the aerodynamics of it cause their car is pretty big.
It looks fairly large and not nearly
as aerodynamic as a Model S.
So if we have any details about that out there
you know we'll try to bring them in in a future video
or if you have any information please let me know
in the comments down below.
So when it comes to performance
I think both of these cars are incredibly fast.
It's hard to actually estimate
because the way an electric motor works
and how horsepower is a function of torque
and just how the electric motor in general
just kind of throws this whole thing off
with the different torque curve and all that.
And, you know, somebody will call me out.
I'm not, you know, the best most intelligent car guy.
I am a data guy that loves cars.
So they're basically when it comes down to it,
is that the Tesla Model S is around 320 horsepower.
That was the best data I could find on this.
If you have other data please let me know
in a comment down below.
But Lucid is reporting 400 horsepower for this base model.
So they win there,
but again does it really matter?
Honestly I find the most valuable part is quickness
which is really kind of your speed off the line.
This is where people measure that 0 to 60.
And yes the Lucid I believe was 2.5 seconds
when they tested it and since then a new version
of the P10D came out and it beat it.
But forget all that, I mean, that's cool
and we can look at those details and kind of,
I don't know, fantasize about them but really both
of these cars are going to be incredibly fast
and will meet whatever needs you have
as a reasonable driver.
But, you know, that said it is faster so we have
to give them the point there.
Now when it comes to availability obviously Tesla wins.
So you can order a car today a Model S or X
by the way you can use our code to get a thousand bucks off
if you didn't know about that already.
And the Lucid though will be
at least a year or more out.
So they're rescheduled to start production
in 2018 in Casa Grande which is in Arizona.
It's a little town maybe
about an hour and a half two hours south of Phoenix
where I'm actually from.
And everyone there calls it Casa Grand.
I don't know why.
But anyways point being that you're gonna be waiting
until at least 2019 most likely to get a Lucid Air
and that's probably pretty far for most people.
And really that begs a bigger question as
what will the base Model S stats be compared
to what they are now compared to in 2019?
Because remember these cars keep getting better and better
so we'll see but as of right now
I think, you know, Tesla obviously wins this battle.
Now on to the tech and this is my favorite category.
The thing I really like the most
about all of these new cars
is just the fun and interesting things
and just how advanced they are.
So the Model S as you may or may not know
has a 17 inch touchscreen inside
where it has all the controls and everything there.
So there's no buttons or knobs or any of that.
It's just very clean, modern look.
And then there's also the digital dashboard
behind the actual display behind the steering wheel.
And that also can adjust and it's just kind of dynamic,
you know, if you do navigation it pops up there.
So it's pretty advanced.
Really cool feature.
I really like that aspect of it.
Now of course the Tesla Model S
has autopilot and autopilot 2.0
as well as potentially full self driving hardware
which will completely let you just, you know,
take your hands off the wheel
and it'll drive itself in the future.
So all of those things exist today in the Model S
as well as the over the air software updates.
So your cars continue to get better and better,
you know, they add all these features
like one of my favorites was when they added the feature
to when where if you left your dog
or kid or somebody in the car
the car will never get above 105 degrees.
So they in theory, you know, won't die.
They'll survive that.
Now the Lucid is pretty advanced as well.
And they have four different screens here
three of which are interactive.
So they have a lot of different screens going on
and it's really cool.
Some of the displays are pretty amazing.
So I think this is pretty awesome.
Then they also have this LED multi lens array
which is this thing that flips around for the head lights.
It's pretty cool if you've not seen it.
I don't know if it'll actually
be released in the base model.
They say it will but we'll see.
And of course they also have over the air software updates
and they say they'll have autonomous hardware.
So again it's not been released yet.
They haven't actually produced one of these cars
using their factory which I don't even think is built yet.
So, you know, lots to remain to be seen
but the prototypes and the stuff
that they are claiming is pretty advanced.
So I'm gonna call this one a wash,
I mean, they're both amazing
and the technology is incredible so,
you know, it's up to you whether or not
one of these features is really the winner or loser
and really makes you pushes you one way or the other.
But for me they're both incredibly advanced.
I think they're awesome cars
and especially when it comes to the tech.
Now for the looks,
again this is something subjective.
So I'm gonna take it a little bit deeper.
Instead of just talking about the outside of the car
which I think is important, you know,
people really are drawn to certain cars
versus the other one.
Again I think both of these cars look great.
I think Tesla, I'm obviously biased,
I think they look better
but I do see the Lucid as a decent looking car.
It's not something I would be afraid
to have in my driveway at all.
Now Tesla's interior though the way that they think
about this it's more of a modern, clean tech approach.
Not so many frills and bells and whistles
and really high end finishes.
And this has been the criticism of theirs
from anyone else that's coming over from BMW
or Mercedes or any of the other high end luxury vehicles.
In fact another YouTuber Marcus Brantley
recently got to check it out.
He did his own review and he does, he's famous,
he does incredible reviews of all kinds of tech stuff.
So if you haven't heard of him,
you should go check his channel out.
We'll put a link up here.
Now he did a review and he's also a Tesla owner, by the way,
and he also agrees that the finishings and everything
aren't so much for him just like they're not for me.
So we have that in common.
But one of the things that is Lucid is really going after
is the luxury buyer, somebody that just loves
the really really high end finishing.
So if you want you can go check out his video
where he actually goes into it.
He got to go drive one and sit in it.
Some of the more advanced features,
they have like the reclining rear seats,
those won't exist in the base model
so I'm not gonna compare them in this
but the point being that I do think this is
in the eye of the beholder.
Somebody likes something different for different reasons
so it's kind of hard to give a win.
But I would just say there's a clear difference here.
Tesla modern, clean, tech, more iPhone, less Blackberry.
And the Lucid much more luxurious.
Much more really really high end materials
and trying to cater to every little thing
that you could possibly want.
So just different mindset when it comes to
kind of the audience that they're going after.
And when it comes to price,
this is where the biggest headline
out of their recent post about clear the air comes out
where they quote 52.5 for the base model.
Now that's after they subtract the tax incentive.
So I'm gonna add them back in
because I think that it's important to do that.
I mean the question of
whether or not these incentives will stay around
is pretty up in the air especially in the United States.
So I'm just not convinced that it's gonna be here.
So for price the base Model S that I did for this analysis
we're looking at about 71 thousand 300.
Again that's without any incentives or anything there
and the Lucid is coming in at 61.2.
So that includes dock fees and a few
of the other taxes and things.
So just trying to do a comparison
but the main difference here is that they're
about 10 thousand dollars cheaper than the Model S.
So this is something that is a winner
for them in my view.
Now the difference I really feel isn't gonna be
so much about the price.
Yes 10 thousand dollars is a lot.
I think it's gonna be more about the type of buyer
and which model or style they prefer.
Cause like I said, if you love ostrich skin this
or you know super super high end finishes,
you're just not gonna get that in a Tesla.
You will get that in the Lucid.
So if that's your style,
you may want to go that route.
That may be more appealing to you.
And so this begs the question,
who is their market?
So they on their website said,
"We intend to have a car that is competitive
"in features and price with mid-level luxury vehicles
"and can also be configured to compete
"with the best cars in the world across classes."
So there you go.
You have it essentially a very different mission statement
than the way Tesla looks at the world.
So that I think will be the big distinction
and that's good because competition in the market is helpful
and I think it will actually just, you know,
elevate the popularity of EVs all around.
Question of the day:
so would you consider buying one of these cars?
Would you consider buying the Model S
today if you could?
Or if you could buy the Lucid today
would you go towards that route?
I'm curious what you would think.
You know, forget the fact that the Lucid's not out yet.
Based on the stats and the stuff I've shown you here,
would you actually buy that over a Tesla, and if so why?
And if not, why not?
I'd love to hear from you.
Just leave me a comment down below
and we'll have a discussion
and all become smarter as a result.
So thanks for joining me again
and if you are in the market, as I mentioned before,
for a Model S or X you can use our referral code
to get a thousand dollars off
and hook us up with some cool perks
like getting to go to a Model 3 delivery event.
That would be a big one.
They have all kinds of different stuff going on.
But anyways you can use that
just a thousand bucks off to you, anyone else you know.
So I hope you do and if you do let me know.
I'd love to chat with you
and just see what you doing what you got
and how it's going so.
I thank you for joining me here today
and I'll see you back here next time.