• Lucid Motors announced that its new luxury sedan, the Air, will be the “fastest charging electric vehicle,” with the ability to charge 20 miles of range per minute.
  • The claim smashes the standard set by Tesla, whose V3 Supercharger can add about 15 miles per minute.
  • The announcement follows Lucid’s claim that the Air will have a range of 517 miles, another bid for best-in-industry specs.
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Lucid Motors, a competitor of Tesla, has announced that its debut car will be able to charge up to 20 miles a minute, touting it as the “the fastest charging electric vehicle ever offered.”

The car will feature 900 volt charging architecture that, when hooked up to 350kW fast-chargers, could produce 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes of charging. Lucid’s charging speeds would top Tesla’s, which clock in at about 15 miles per minute when plugged into Tesla’s V3 Supercharger.

The announcement isn’t Lucid’s first attempt to challenge Tesla in a battle for best-in-industry specs.

Earlier this month, Lucid announced its Air car will have a range of 517 miles, calling it as the “longest range electric vehicle to date.” If Lucid makes good on its promises, the car will smash the Tesla S’s prior record, which clocks in at 402 miles of range.

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, who led development of the Model S while working for Elon Musk, has said the Air will outmatch Tesla's sedan in terms of interior luxury, dash from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, and start at more than $100,000.

"We're creating a car which is going to be the best car in the world," Rawlinson told Business Insider in July. "People are going to want it."

Practically speaking, most electric-vehicle owners charge their cars overnight and don't regularly take hundred-mile journeys, so Lucid's speedy charging capabilities would mostly come in handy on road trips. But when it comes to battery power, range remains a key selling point for consumers wary of moving away from internal combustion. Lucid's charging capabilities paired with a battery that can run for over 500 miles between pit stops will crush range anxiety.

Lucid has also teamed up with Electrify America, a Volkswagen subsidiary, which has more than 2,000 electric-vehicle charging stations, to provide complimentary charging for the first three years after purchasing the Lucid Air. The move takes aim at Tesla's Supercharger network, which offers 1,971 stations across the US that are only compatible with Tesla-brand vehicles.

Lucid plans to reveal the final version of the car on September 9, and to begin production near the end of the year. Customer deliveries will begin in early 2021.