Who’s talking about ‘range anxiety’ when driving an American Lucid Air? The latter just set a new Guinness World Record by driving an Air Grand Touring EV through the Alps from St. Moritz, Switzerland, to Munich, Germany, without a single charging stop. The trip included a mix of alpine passes, highways, and secondary roads.
Lucid, a battery specialist from the start, exceeded the previous record held by a Mercedes EQS for the longest journey of 1,045 kilometers, set in June 2025, by 160 kilometers. At the wheel sat Umit Sabanci, an adventurer known for his world record attempts in travel and electric vehicles.
Most countries visited by EV
In 2024, Sabanci set the record for the most countries visited on a single charge in a production battery electric vehicle, crossing nine countries – also in a Lucid Air Grand Touring. In real life, the man holds a managing director position for an international consulting firm in the UK.
Chief Engineer Eric Bach of Lucid Motors stands tall in a press release about this world record, calling it a significant milestone. “Our Lucid products combine world-class vehicle efficiency with the most advanced drive units, ultra-high voltage architecture, and battery management technology available today, which lets a Lucid travel further with less energy than any other vehicle.”
Developing battery tech
Lucid Motors was initially founded in 2007 under the name Atieva. Its primary mission was to develop electric car battery technology and powertrains for other vehicle manufacturers. This foundational expertise in energy storage systems and battery development is a key differentiator.
They even supplied battery packs for the Formula E electric racing series in its early days, which provided invaluable experience in high-performance, high-density, and durable battery systems. The final product the company launched for the EV market, the Lucid Air, is a clear example of this.
960 km standard WLTP range of
This version of the Air, the Grand Touring, has a standard WLTP range of 960 kilometers and consumes only 13.5 kWh/100 km, which is quite impressive for a 2,200 kg weighing sedan like this. It boasts a considerable amount of power (611 kW or 819 hp) and torque (1,200 Nm), accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reaching a top speed of 270 km/h.
Specific to Lucid is the 900-volt architecture and the large battery, with a nominal capacity of 114-118 kWh. It’s capable of charging up to 300 kW, adding 400 km of range in 16 minutes, but apparently, it didn’t need to do that for its trip from St. Moritz to Munich.
If you want one, prepare to spend between € 129,000 and € 132,000 to start when shopping in Germany or the Netherlands. The fact that Lucid was present at the latest Brussels Motor Show indicates that the American carmaker, with its base in Silicon Valley, California, is becoming active in Belgium as well. On its website, test rides can already be reserved.
