When Lucid asked me to drive an Air Sapphire in the inaugural Trinitē Road  Rally, it was as if the smartest and coolest kid had just invited me to prom. This date was no dud: over the course of the three-day rally, my teammate Jill Ciminillo and I experienced all of Air Sapphire’s luxury, incredible quickness, and superlative suspension on a variety of Northern California roads.  

This electric supercar carved twisty routes without blinking, and I barely had to touch the brake when using one-pedal driving. It was kind of astonishing, as I had found one-pedal driving jerky and uneven in many other EVs. Not in the Air Sapphire. Also remarkable is the Air Sapphire’s suspension—potholes and jagged-edge country roads didn’t even register for us as passengers. Jill and I felt the unmatched massaging seats to be a highlight at the end of the day.  

I have been impressed with Lucid’s technology since I visited the company’s headquarters in 2024 and wrote about it for Popular Science. The miniaturization of components for efficiency and excellence is above and beyond what other EV manufacturers are making, and the proof is in the range and operation.  

Two years later, I’m more captivated by what Lucid can do than ever. Even more than that is the respect I’ve gained for the Lucid team through the rally. Engineers Aidan Bowman and Rachel Abril competed alongside us in a Lucid Gravity. During the breaks and in the evenings, they told us about the culture at Lucid that encourages women and creativity. We exchanged stories about our obsession for everything on wheels and Rachel and Aidan went above and beyond to ensure we had a great competition: they were on hand for any questions we had and even hauled extra tires for us.  

Jill and I also saw firsthand why MotorTrend honored Lucid in its Best Tech Awards for delivering the Best Public Charging Experience. Every fast-charging stop was a hassle-free experience and that goes a long way toward adoption. The biggest hurdle for EVs in America is charging infrastructure. Even in Northern California, where EVs are plentiful, smaller towns like Fort Bragg have unreliable charging, so we had to settle for a slower charging experience that necessitated a text to Aidan and Rachel to let them know where we were.  

New plan, Rachel texted back. We’ll be there in 30 minutes.  They insisted on swapping vehicles with us so we could get ready to go to sleep for the night, and we took the Lucid Gravity to the hotel while they stayed with the Air Sapphire. It was heady to get behind the wheel of the Lucid Gravity for the first time. The SUV zipped away effortlessly and smoothly, and I wanted more time with it. 

I got my wish on the autocross course at Sonoma Raceway at the end of the competition and found out why this electric SUV is garnering praise and attention. It’s no surprise why the World Car Awards program named the Lucid Gravity 2026 its World Luxury Car of the Year. With 450 miles of range¹, fast and versatile charging, thrilling acceleration, and a huge cargo area, the Lucid Gravity is a Swiss Army knife of convenience and plush comfort. The Air has also received a lion’s share of honors across the board, and journalists rave about the brand both person to person and publicly. 

Just today, a good friend sent me a text asking what I think of the Lucid Air. She had been buying luxury ICE sedans for many years and was ready to make a change.  

Let me tell you, I said, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.