Lucid Motors isn't shy about wanting to surpass all other EV makers, especially Tesla. They are very serious about building the best electric car in the world, and they've already started with the Lucid Air electric sedan.

These cars are among the most luxurious and powerful electric cars you can buy. But, the Model S Plaid is still faster than all the regular Lucid Air vehicles. Lucid wasn't going to let that slide, so they released the Lucid Air Sapphire. Is the Lucid Air Sapphire a Plaid destroyer? Read on to find out.

How Fast Is the Model S Plaid?

This is the current king of the performance EV segment. Nothing comes close (yet) in terms of production electric vehicles. The Model S Plaid's numbers are legendary, just like Elon Musk intended. When the Model S Plaid came out, reviewers couldn't believe how fast this plain-looking sedan was.

Park the unassuming Plaid next to a Lamborghini, and you would never expect the Plaid to be quicker. But that's exactly what happened— the Plaid destroyed most challengers when it came to brutal acceleration. The 1/4 mile is eclipsed in 9.23 seconds, which is dedicated race car quick. The top speed? An amazing 200 mph, especially great for an electric car.

The sprint to 60 mph is the stuff of legends at 1.99 seconds. Basically, all other cars will be left in the Model S Plaid's dust. Products like the Model S Plaid, and the Cybertruck, are what Tesla's essence is all about. These halo cars give the brand its ultimate cool factor, and now there's a new challenger to Tesla's performance crown. It will be very interesting to see how Elon Musk responds to the challenge from Lucid Motors. It's safe to say he won't let Tesla fall behind in terms of performance, especially to Lucid.

How Fast Is the Lucid Air Sapphire?

The Lucid Air Sapphire's sole purpose is to dethrone the Model S Plaid as the quickest production electric vehicle. If the numbers are accurate, this car will definitely give the Tesla Model S Plaid a run for its money, and it should surpass it. According to Lucid's press release for the Sapphire, the electric super sedan should smoke the Model S Plaid in the quarter mile. According to Lucid, the Sapphire should complete the sprint across the quarter mile in less than nine seconds, and this means it'll likely be somewhere in the high eights. In other words, faster than the Plaid.

With this vast power and the enhanced delivery afforded by the twin rear-drive unit, Lucid Air Sapphire will accelerate from a standstill to 60 mph in less than two seconds, from zero to 100 mph in less than four seconds, and the standing quarter mile in under 9 seconds. These figures are achievable with no extra-cost equipment upgrades or protracted preconditioning routines. Additionally, massive carbon ceramic disc brakes come as standard, endowing Air Sapphire with a stopping power to match its prodigious performance.

Lucid claims the Sapphire will accelerate to 60 mph from 0 in less than two seconds. The Tesla Model S Plaid already does this, so it's going to be very important that the Sapphire is substantially quicker than the Plaid. It doesn't have to be by an immense figure, but nowadays, 0-60 has become a standard of street car performance.

If the Sapphire consistently launches from 0-60 faster than the Tesla, it will be a huge deal. Most of the really impressive videos you see of the Model S Plaid involve launching it from a standstill against its competitors. This is very dramatic because the Tesla's instant torque demolishes all internal combustion engine vehicles off the line. If the Lucid can outrun the Tesla in its own domain, then the hype surrounding how quick the Plaid is will instantly transfer to the Sapphire.

The Sapphire also packs horsepower figures meant to shatter the Model S Plaid's numbers. With Lucid stating that the Sapphire makes over 1,200hp, it's clear they're aiming right at Tesla. Hopefully, they will release more concrete data soon because I'm sure the question on everyone's mind is how much faster the Lucid Air Sapphire is than the Model S Plaid.

Lucid has to be aware that the Tesla Model S is approaching its last legs in its current generation, and right now is the best time to beat it because the next generation Model S will be a monster.

When Is the Lucid Air Sapphire Launching?

According to Lucid, the Sapphire will be launching next year. If you're wondering how expensive it is, don't worry. It's absurdly expensive. The Lucid Air Sapphire's price is $249,000, meaning the Lucid Air Sapphire costs $100,000 more than the Model S Plaid. This is where the true dilemma comes in.

If the Lucid Air Sapphire doesn't absolutely demolish the Tesla Model S, then the price gap is unjustifiable. Actually, even if the Sapphire is substantially quicker than the Plaid, it's still extremely unlikely that the car is $100,000 better than the Plaid. The logical choice at this point would definitely be the Tesla, especially considering there's not any point in driving such an overpowered vehicle around your local streets.

But, many people need the newest and fastest car on the block, no matter the price. In this case, the Lucid is the new standout car. But, for all the sensible people out there, it's difficult to justify the price premium of the Lucid Air Sapphire over the Model S Plaid. The discrepancy is too high, especially considering how blindingly fast the Tesla already is.

The Lucid Sapphire Will Spark an All-Out EV Performance War

If the Sapphire launches in 2023 and pounds the Model S Plaid into oblivion, it's difficult to see a situation where Tesla isn't forced to respond. This will likely trigger an all-out EV performance war between Lucid and Tesla.