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Lucid Motors releases ‘winter testing’ video of the all-electric Air drifting on snow

Unlike gas-powered cars with their large engines, battery-powered vehicles can more easily incorporate dual motors, one on each axle. Combined with the fact that an electric motor can deliver max torque at 0 rpm, it can enable great traction if managed properly.

It’s why EVs can offer great winter driving performance and Lucid Motors is showcasing its all-electric sedan, Lucid Air, in winter conditions for the firs time.

The California-based startup took alpha development prototypes to northern Minnesota under the pretext of testing the vehicle in winter conditions, but based on the video they released (see below), it looks like it was more about having some fun.

Of course, that’s not what the company is claiming, they wrote about the tests:

“Much of our time in Minnesota was focused on braking systems and vehicle dynamics. Low friction surfaces, such as deep and packed snow, polished ice, and split left-versus-right friction, challenge both the car and the driver, allowing us to develop anti-lock braking, traction control, and stability-control systems to ensure comfortable, stable progress through the worst conditions seen on the road.
”

They were able to test in temperatures as low as -18F (-28C).

The top version of the Lucid Air is equipped with a 130 kWh for 400 miles of range and can deliver 1,000 horsepower. There’s a lot of power and torque to modulate between the two motors and Lucid says that it can “automatically adjust parameters hundreds of times a second to ensure optimal dynamic control.”

While it aims to improve handling and cornering on different road conditions, it can also be configured to have some fun – like this:

https://vimeo.com/203222817

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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