- The 2025 Lucid Air Pure is the most efficient vehicle sold in the U.S.
- Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson said competitors are years behind
- Rawlinson believes efficiency is the key to EVs
Lucid Group CEO Peter Rawlinson is confident that the automaker has built up a substantial advantage in EV efficiency.
The 2025 Lucid Air Pure achieves 146 MPGe in EPA testing and 5.0 miles per kwh based solely on its 420-mile range rating, making it the most efficient U.S.-market vehicle regardless of powertrain type, Lucid has said. In a LinkedIn post, Rawlinson added that it will take rivals years to reach this mark at their current rate of progress.
Lucid graph comparing Air efficiency with Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Mercedes-Benz EQS
Rawlinson's post included a graph comparing the historical improvements in MPGe of the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan to the Air, using data from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov website. At its current rate of progress, Tesla could match the Air Pure's 146 MPGe in 2032, according to Lucid, while Porsche and Mercedes are even further behind.
"Efficiency is of critical importance in making a better, lighter, more spacious, longer-range vehicle, and directly impacts the cost of manufacture," Rawlinson said. "Therefore, efficiency is arguably the single most valid litmus test of a company's core EV technological capability."
2025 Lucid Air Pure
A more efficiency EV can travel farther on a given amount of electricity, allowing for a reduction in battery-pack size that has numerous benefits including lower cost, weight reduction, and smaller demand for raw materials. It's why efficiency, not range, is what drives Lucid engineering. The Air Pure relies on a fairly large 84.0-kwh pack to achieve its EPA range rating and its $71,400 base price isn't considered affordable.
Lucid hopes to apply some of its efficiency-focused engineering to a less-expensive model dubbed "Project Midsize" that's slated to debut in 2026, following the launch of the Lucid Gravity SUV later this year. Both projects will likely be funded in part by a fresh $1.5 billion cash injection from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is already Lucid's largest shareholder.
