In a sign that range anxiety in electric cars could soon be a thing of the past, US manufacturer Lucid says one of its cars was able to cover 1,205 kilometres on a single battery charge – a new world record.
The feat comes as the driving range of an electric vehicle remains a key selling point, with many would-be buyers of electric cars still put off by fears of running out of battery on longer journeys.
Lucid announced in July that its Air Grand Touring covered a distance of 1,205 km on a journey from Sankt Moritz in Switzerland via Austria to Munich. However, some motoring pundits have reacted cautiously to the record, arguing it has little impact on electric mobility.
This trip secured the manufacturer an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for beating the previous record by a solid 160 kilometres. A Mercedes electric had set the record only a few weeks ago in June.
The five-seat Lucid is admittedly one of the most powerful EVs in the world, delivering a massive 831 horsepower, albeit for an equally massive price upwards of $110,000.
The saloon reaches a top speed of 270 km/h – far faster than most electric cars. Meanwhile its ultra-fast charging capability means that the Lucid’s battery can regain up to 400 kilometres of range in just 16 minutes, the maker says.
Commenting on the record, industry expert Stefan Bratzel from the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) told the mass-circulation Bild newspaper: “The range race continues, although a long range is becoming less important.”
Bratzel called the record a “marketing gag” with limited relevance to everyday motoring. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) said the range of EVs has improved considerably in recent years and is not far removed from that of diesel vehicles.
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