The 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring—the longest-range version of the Air luxury sedan—gets some small but notable changes for the current model year, Lucid announced Wednesday in a press release.
The Grand Touring is the second Air model to get a heat pump, after the high-performance Sapphire. As previously shown in other EVs, a heat pump generally means improved efficiency in cold weather, on longer trips. That helps solve some of the issue of cold-weather range loss in EVs.
2024 Lucid Air
Tesla insisted it didn't need a heat pump and that its EVs might be less efficient with one—until it introduced one in 2023. Other models adding them in the past year have included the Mercedes-Benz EQS and EQE, and some versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning. General Motors plans to put heat pumps in every one of its Ultium EVs, and Rivian plans to add them soon.
Lucid also claims "about 15-30% faster DC charging" for the 2024 Air Grand Touring, as well as improved automatic battery preconditioning en route to the charging station to further maximize charging speeds (the Air also allows for manual preconditioning).
2024 Lucid Air
Changes to the motors, battery cell chemistry, and "thermal characteristics" also reduce waste heat, allowing for the Grand Touring "to perform at its best even during sustained spirited driving," according to Lucid.
The Air Grand Touring retains its EPA-estimated 516-mile range and is priced at $111,400 with the mandatory $1,500 destination charge. It sits above the 419-mile Air Pure and 411-mile Air Touring, which start at $71,400 and $79,400, respectively, with destination. The 1,234-hp, 427-mile Air Sapphire starts at $250,500 with destination. These prices are essentially in line with cuts Lucid made in February.
