Lucid Is Testing A Tri-Motor Air Prototype That Can Run A 9.3-Second Quarter-Mile

The long-awaited Lucid Air is one of the most promising electric vehicles to launch in recent memory, but the automaker isn’t resting on its laurels and has revealed it is developing an even quicker variant capable of a 9.3-second quarter-mile time.

The electric drivetrains used by the 2021 Lucid Air are extremely compact, and while the variants announced for production ‘only’ have two of these power units, Lucid is testing a tri-motor prototype (pictured) with two electric motors on the rear axle and one at the front. Individually, each of these motors delivers 640 hp, but combined, they top out at around 1,200 hp.

Read More: Production 2021 Lucid Air Available From $72,500, Rated Up To 1,080 HP And 517 Miles Of Range

While Jalopnik was recently touring Lucid’s factory, the publication spoke with Lucid chief executive and CTO Peter Rawlinson, who revealed that he had personally recorded a 9.3-second quarter-mile time in the car at the Sonoma Raceway drag strip. Admittedly, the prototype being tested has a roll cage and is missing some interior trim, but that is still an extraordinary time.

The current flagship Lucid Air Dream Edition has an official quarter-mile time of 9.9 seconds. That makes it one of the fastest production vehicles ever and comfortably quicker than the Tesla Model S Performance with ‘Cheetah’ Mode, which runs 10.4 second times. A quarter-mile time of 9.3 seconds is unheard of for a production car, especially a luxury sedan.

It remains uncertain just when Lucid intends on launching the tri-motor Air, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it is announced shortly after Tesla unveils its tri-motor “Plaid” Model S.