The California Highway Patrol’s motto is “Safety, Service, and Security,” but you might need to throw recharging into the mix as the law enforcement agency recently tested a modified version of the Lucid Air. It’s dubbed the Lucid Pursuit and it makes for one stylish police cruiser.

While the automaker didn’t have much to say, they released pictures of an Air equipped with emergency lights and push bumpers. They’re joined by steel wheels and a classic two-tone paint job. We can also see a badge-like graphic with a bear representing California as well as lightning bolts indicating the model is electric.

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Lucid was coy on specifics, but suggested the Air’s “unmatched combination” of range, performance, and room would make it ideal for law enforcement duty. You’ll notice pricing wasn’t mentioned and there’s a good reason for that as the Air Pure begins at $69,900. And that’s before taking into account all the inevitable and costly modifications needed to outfit a civilian-spec model for police work.

Even so, that’s far more than the old Dodge Charger Pursuit, but Lucid’s EV has 430 hp (321 kW / 436 PS) and an estimated range of 420 miles (676 km). The $78,900 Air Touring ups the ante with 620 hp (462 kW / 629 PS), which allows for a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 3.4 seconds. Despite the jump in performance, the range only falls 14 miles (23 km).

For departments with bigger budgets and/or a complete disregard of taxpayer dollars, there’s the Air Grand Touring and Sapphire. The former starts at $110,900 and has 819 hp (611 kW / 830 PS) as well as a range of 512 miles (824 km). The Sapphire, on the other hand, is a $249,000 hypercar that sports 1,234 hp (920 kW / 1,251 PS) and a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 1.89 seconds.

One-percenters now have several super-fast electric sedans from which to choose. Among them are the Lucid Air Sapphire and the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. Now, the pair go head to head in a U-drag race to determine which is the quickest in this unique testing protocol.

As a reminder, this sort of race is exactly what it sounds like. The cars compete in a traditional drag race before turning around at the big end and racing back to the start line. In essence, the event tests acceleration, braking, cornering, and how easy it is to put power back down after a curve.

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The contestants combine to make 2,326 horsepower (1,734 kW), so no doubt this is going to be a fast event. The Lucid has all of the numbers on its side. It makes 1,234 hp (920 kW) and 1,430 lb-ft (1936 Nm) of torque. The Porsche brings 1,092 hp (814 kW) and 988 lb-ft (1,338 Nm) to the table, but only when the driver is using the “Boost” button. In addition, the Porsche puts that power down with two motors while the Lucid uses three.

If things sound a little lop-sided on paper, the track only makes that truth more evident. From the moment the flag drops in race one, the Lucid rockets ahead and leaves the Porsche for dead. The pair actually end up entering the turn at similar moments but the Air Sapphire is just so much smoother on the exit that the Taycan never comes close to catching it.

In race two, the results are similar but the path there is different. This time, the Porsche leaps out in front and the Lucid spends the entire quarter-mile reeling it in. Then, in the bend, the Air Sapphire is, again, smoother. While the Porsche is struggling to exit the turn without a loss of traction, the Lucid is leaving the area.

Interestingly, the Taycan proved quicker from 0-60 mph (2.1 seconds) in the second race than the Lucid did (2.2 seconds) in either one. The Lucid is powerful enough to win at the end of the drag strip with a 9.2-second performance. The Air also cornered slightly harder at 1.34g vs the Porsche’s 1.33g. In the end, it was one full second faster throughout the whole test. That’s a seriously impressive feat considering how quick the Porsche is. 

Image Credit: Edmunds

Drag races are great for seeing how fast a car can accelerate, but a U-drag race tests braking and cornering too. Now, Tesla and Lucid are going head to head with their most potent sedans ever. These are two dramatically different cars but each boasts a four-figure horsepower claim and the performance to back that up.

Tesla’s Model S Plaid packs 1,020 horsepower (760 kW) and the example in this video has the optional $20,000 track pack that includes bigger brakes for better stopping power. The Lucid Air Sapphire comes standard with 1,234 horsepower (920 kW) and multiple track modes including drag strip, hot lap, and endurance. The Air also has some 400 lb-ft (541 Nm) of additional torque.

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In race one of this Edmunds U-Drag, we see the Lucid leverage every bit of its extra power and twist to get out to a lead early. In fact, it’s powerful enough that it keeps that lead all the way through the quarter of a mile and into the first turn. Despite having huge brakes, the Tesla can’t reel the Lucid in enough at the bend and the Air Sapphire takes off for the finish line with lots of room between the sedans.

Race two plays out largely the same but with one key differentiator. The Tesla actually begins to reel in the Lucid on the back straight but isn’t quick enough to catch it before the end. Still, it’s an interesting result given that the Lucid has a top speed north of 200 mph (322 km/h). Don’t feel too bad if you’re a big Tesla fan though. This set of races set a new U-Drag record.

In fact, the Lucid Air Sapphire is so quick at this test that it’s a full 1.7 seconds faster than the second-place car, a McLaren 765LT. For its part, the Tesla managed fourth overall, losing to both the 765LT and to a McLaren 750S with a best time of 29.8 seconds.

Image Credit: Edmunds