Lucid Motors teases electric sedan specs ahead of big launch

Lucid Motors is doing its damndest to build interest in its upcoming Lucid Air electric sedan ahead of finally taking the wraps off the thing next week.

Driving the news: The Silicon Valley startup today released new details about the car's drivetrain and performance.

• A dual-motor edition with up to 1,080 horsepower can cover a quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds, the company said, calling it the only electric sedan with that ability.
• The electric motors can spin at up to 20,000 rotations per minute. They are part of a 900-plus volt electric drive unit that weighs 163 pounds and can "fit inside a standard airline carry-on roller bag."
• Each drive unit provides over 650 horsepower, and is smaller and more powerful than the competition, according to Lucid.

The big picture: It's the latest in a burst of announcements about the car, which is slated to launch production at an Arizona factory early next year.

The bottom line: The EV space is getting more crowded, so Lucid has to find ways to stand out — even if that means touting speeds and range that few drivers need.

The intrigue: Lucid said the car's "Wunderbox" charging system is well-equipped for serving as a backup home electricity.

• "The Wunderbox ... enables a wide array of future-ready, bi-directional power delivery features from the vehicle to the grid (V2G) for situations such as managing home power outages."

Quick take: That's important in California, the country's largest EV market and a place plagued by power outages in recent years.