• Lucid Motors shares a video showing the upcoming Gravity electric SUV towing a plane out of a hangar.
Lucid Motors’ upcoming Gravity SUV was unveiled just recently at the Los Angeles Auto sHow, and it was the occasion for the upstart EV maker to reveal specifications about the model. The all-electric luxury SUV has some impressive numbers attached to it, not least this one: 6,000. That’s its maximum towing capacity in pounds.
Towing has been a bit an Achilles' heel for electric vehicles, but technology is slowly advancing on that front, and we're seeing more and more new EVs boasting interesting capabilities. This is particularly true of electric pickups, most of which can tow up to around 10,000 lb.
Things are also coming along for SUVs, though more slowly. Still, the Tesla Model X for example offers a capacity of 5,000 lb. It’s a figure that was obviously on Lucid Motors' mind.
So just to demonstrate how capable its upcoming Gravity is, the company posted a video showing the SUV pulling a plane out of a hangar and around a runway. The video was posted on the company's X account.
To be clear, this impressive stunt remains that, a stunt. Towing a heavy object that's on wheels and offers no resistance, on a flat surface and at low speed is one thing. Extricating something that's stuck in the snow or offers some resistance, or pulling a heavy load on a highway, that’s something else entirely. Nevertheless, Lucid did show its newest model can indeed pull heavy loads. The weight of the jet plane (a Boom XB-1) is estimated at 13,500 lb.
For the brand, the presentation aims to draw attention to the Gravity, and also persuade some buyers who were considering a competitor's model (cough cough-Tesla-cough cough) to look its way. That's the challenge for a new company: to get the word out about its creations and their benefits.
Speaking of advantages, the Gravity's range, if it proves to be accurate in real world use, is superior to anything offered by rival models. Gravity should offer a range of over 700 km.
The first Lucid Gravity deliveries are scheduled for late 2024.
