Over the years, we have taken the Motor Trend Car of the Year award with a grain of salt – but this year is different. This year the award went to the Lucid Air Electric Vehicle. Although the interior dimensions of the Lucid Air may not meet a Security Vehicle’s needs, the vehicle’s performance and innovative technology make it a security vehicle in waiting.
In the past, the International Security Driver Association’s biggest complaint about using Electric Vehicles for Secure Transportation has been three issues:
- Range,
- Milage, and
- Charging Stations.
The Lucid can solve two of those issues, Range and Milage.
Miles Per Gallon?
The vehicle has a range of 111 to 131 mpg – e. I’m sure you’re thinking, how do you get miles per gallon (MPG) from an electric vehicle. A quick explanation – MPGe stands for miles per gallon equivalent. Unlike a gas car’s MPG, which can be calculated using a simple formula, such a figure is not obtainable when a battery from a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle uses electricity as its fuel source.
The MPGe comes via the Environmental Protection Agency. When the EPA devised MPGe in the early 2000s, the government agency calculated that 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity is comparable to a gallon of fuel in terms of its energy content.
The 131 MPGe gives the Lucid a 525-mile range, not bad for an EV.
Also, what the International Security Driver Association found impressive was Lucid’s handling capability. The Motor Trend vehicle test produced .91 G’s on the Skid Pad, a unique number.
But what is more impressive is Motor Trends Figure 8 handling test. In our opinion, the figure-eight track is a better test of handling than the skidpad. The test layout is two 200 foot radius circles with the centers separated by 500 feet.
The Lucid numbers around the skidpad were .9 G’s or an average speed of 51.9 MPH. The figure 8 track numbers were .83 G’s with an average speed of 49.9 MPH.
Why the differences of 2 MPH from the skidpad to the figure eight? The Skid Pad is a steady-state cornering; the figure 8 track takes into account the transition from straight-line speed to cornering.
The difference of only 2 MPH indicates the Lucid is a good cornering vehicle.
Join the International Security Driver Association
Do you have an interest in going much deeper into these topics? If so, I invite you to check out the International Security Driver Association’s website and consider joining the membership. Upon entering, you will access the encyclopedia of executive protection and secure transportation – The Knowledge Center.
For more information on all of the member benefits, head over to isdacenter.org.
Note: Lucid Air Vehicle image provided by Wikimedia
