Lucid Air Alpha shines with success in its first track contact: 379 km/h top speed

That electric cars can go fast is nothing new, but seeing them perform so well on their first track contact is genuinely encouraging. During April, the Air Alpha Speed Car, an electric vehicle prototype developed by the North American company Lucid, carried out its first high-speed tests on the roller dynamometer, tests that served to gauge its performance before undertaking further trials. On the roller dynamometer, the speed of the Lucid Air Alpha Speed Car was electronically limited to 217 mph (about 350 km/h).

Now, Lucid has returned to the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio (USA) to continue the performance tests, carry out tyre tests on its electric car and, for the first time, put the Air Alpha Speed Car on the track and get the most out of its potential. On the high-speed oval, Lucid engineers disabled the software that limited the car’s maximum speed in order to assess its performance at higher speeds of up to 235 mph (378.9 km/h).

They also tackled the high-speed oval again, this time with the speed limiter software removed so as to evaluate performance at even higher speeds, up to 235 mph (about 379 CV), explore the limits of the platform and try to detect any abnormal behaviour that had occurred during the tests carried out in the laboratory.

On its first outing on track, the Lucid exceeded all expectations, circulating on the oval at speeds above 200 mph (322 km/h). Although the car performed flawlessly, the Lucid engineers also found some opportunities for improvement. For example, the self-levelling air suspension was not able to adjust quickly enough while the vehicle was travelling at almost 322 km/h on the banked section of the oval, although it held firmly against the heavy lateral forces pushing the car sideways towards the track. Another of the faults detected was overheating of the front engine, which was running at higher temperatures than the computer simulations had predicted.

Before going back out on track, the engineers made some adjustments to update the air suspension software to improve its responsiveness at moments of maximum aerodynamic load. Likewise, the front engine affected by the overheating had to be reviewed, with both the energy flow and the coolant ventilation being updated. New wheels, more aerodynamically efficient, were also fitted, and it was then that the maximum speed limiter was removed, with the intention of getting as much as possible out of the Air Alpha.

Once the test programme planned for the session had been completed, the Air Alpha moved to the oval at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio to find its limits. The morning was not on their side. Rain had been falling on the track since early morning, and carrying out maximum-speed tests was not what those present had in mind. However, the sun came out again and the track dried quickly, helped also by the jet-drying truck that TRC provided.

The test was almost cancelled, but once everyone arrived at the track, the rain had stopped, the sun had come out and the track was drying rapidly with the help of TRC’s jet-drying truck. By mid-morning, the Air Alpha was back on track, ready to beat its records.

Everyone present immediately perceived that the car was clearly faster, as the GPS confirmed with a final top speed of 235.44 mph (378.9 km/h). During the test, the Air Alpha prototype behaved wonderfully, offering great stability both on the straights and through the corners. The car was perfectly stable in the bends as well as on the straight, as can be seen in the video accompanying this article. The engineers’ work had borne fruit, and the previous updates responded as expected.

The nearly 379 km/h top speed was the maximum possible, although given the day’s weather conditions and the fact that it is still in its first stage of development, it will not be difficult for the Alpha Speed Car to beat this record before tackling its next phase of preparation on the road to series production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aRbhWk99Xk

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