To Protect And Recharge: CHP Tests Lucid Air Police Car
- The California Highway Patrol recently tested a modified version of the Lucid Air, known as the Lucid Pursuit.
- It featured an assortment of police-spec upgrades including emergency lights, a push bumper, and steel wheels.
- Pricing for the civilian version of the Air starts at $70K for the 430 hp base model and soars to $249K for the 1,234 hp Sapphire.
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.
More: The World’s Fastest Armored Vehicle Is A $475,000 Lucid Air
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.