Saudi Arabia’s EV maker, Lucid, breaks world record with 1,205 km drive across Europe in single charge | World News

Lucid’s new record of 1,205 km surpasses its earlier 1,045 km single-charge drive by 160 km, setting a serious milestone/ Image: Lucid

Lucid Air, the Saudi-backed electrical car (EV) producer, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by setting a brand new Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled on a single charge. The firm’s Lucid Air Grand Touring mannequin efficiently lined 1,205 kilometers (round 749 miles) in a single drive, surpassing its earlier record by 160 kilometers. The historic journey from St. Moritz in Switzerland to Munich, Germany, is a big leap ahead in the electrical car sector, additional cementing Saudi Arabia’s rising affect in the worldwide electrical mobility area.

A Record-Breaking Feat in Europe

Lucid’s new record was set throughout a long-distance drive from the alpine resort city of St. Moritz, Switzerland to Munich, Germany, protecting 1,205 kilometers (749 miles) on a single battery charge. This journey, accomplished over the weekend, shattered the earlier world record of 1,045 kilometers, set in June 2025, by a large margin of 160 kilometers.The Lucid Air Grand Touring, recognized for its luxurious and efficiency mix, accomplished the journey across Alpine roads, highways, and secondary routes, showcasing each endurance and flexibility. The drive was carried out in real-world circumstances, demonstrating the practicality of EVs in numerous terrains.This is Lucid Motors’ second Guinness World Record in electrical car endurance. The first, set in 2024, concerned the identical mannequin finishing a nine-country journey on a single charge. Both record makes an attempt had been led and arranged by Umit Sabanci, a London-based entrepreneur who performed a serious function in planning and driving the journeys.

At the core of the Lucid Air Grand Touring’s breakthrough lies a collection of cutting-edge electrical programs:

The automotive was assembled at Lucid’s Saudi Advanced Manufacturing Plant in King Abdullah Economic City, launched in 2023, aiming for 155,000 autos yearly/ Image: Lucid

The vary and effectivity demonstrated by the Lucid Air Grand Touring had been achieved underneath real-world driving circumstances, not simply lab testing. The car’s high-voltage structure, mixed with a classy battery administration system, performed a central function in maximizing power use and lengthening the gap traveled on a single charge.Eric Bach, Lucid’s Senior Vice President of Product and Chief Engineer, described the vary milestone as an necessary achievement that highlights the technological benefit Lucid holds in the electrical car trade.

Lucid’s Operations and Commitments in the Kingdom

Lucid’s headquarters are in California, however the firm’s long-term development is carefully linked to Saudi Arabia. Its largest shareholder, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), owns about 60% of the corporate and has positioned Lucid as a key a part of the Kingdom’s industrial technique underneath Vision 2030.In September 2023, Lucid started last meeting of electrical autos at its first worldwide manufacturing facility in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The plant processed 800 autos in its preliminary section, with plans to scale up manufacturing to 150,000 models yearly.Under a authorities settlement, Lucid can also be set to produce 100,000 electrical autos to Saudi Arabia over the subsequent decade. This initiative is meant to help the native market and construct capability for future exports.The newest endurance record displays not solely Lucid’s technical progress but additionally Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to develop a aggressive electrical car trade.

Saudi Arabia is actively constructing a complete EV ecosystem, with Lucid on the heart, nevertheless it’s one a part of a wider effort. Several different notable initiatives and partnerships are additionally shaping the inspiration of the Kingdom’s electrical car sector:Ceer and the Birth of Saudi-Made EVs A second EV firm, Ceer, can also be backed by the PIF in a three way partnership with Taiwan’s Foxconn. Ceer is constructing a $1.3 billion manufacturing complicated in KAEC, protecting 1 million sq. meters, with zones devoted to each stage of car manufacturing. The automobiles will incorporate BMW expertise, and intention to determine a totally Saudi-based EV manufacturing ecosystem from the bottom up.BYD Enters the Saudi Market In a separate however parallel improvement, Chinese EV big BYD, now the world’s top-selling electrical car model — has entered Saudi Arabia by means of a partnership with Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company. During a multi-city launch across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran, BYD launched a variety of fashions together with the posh BYD HAN, the performance-driven BYD SEAL, and the hybrid BYD SONG PLUS.Building Charging Infrastructure: EVIQ Recognizing that EVs are solely as viable as their infrastructure, the PIF launched the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ) with an formidable goal: 5,000 quick chargers across 1,000 places by 2030. These can be positioned in cities and alongside main roadways, adhering to strict technical requirements and security codes.NEOM’s Autonomous Future And past EVs, Saudi Arabia can also be investing in autonomous mobility. The NEOM Investment Fund has dedicated $100 million to Pony.ai, a number one participant in self-driving expertise. The deal contains co-development of autonomous autos and clever transport programs for NEOM, and probably for wider use across the Middle East.