Miami streets are now littered with luxury EVs made by Lucid rivals, including Rivian R1T pickup trucks (starting at $73,000 and sometimes over $100,000) and electric Hummers ($87,000 to $120,000). , Porsche Taycans ($86,700 to $211,000) and all sorts of Teslas (starts at relatively cheap $47,000 but runs up to $250,000). In a roundabout way, Miami's love of flashy electric cars is paving the way for more affordable EVs to be rolled out throughout Florida and around the world. Luxury buyers are paying big to help build new electric car factories and research new generations of long-range, low-cost batteries. Meanwhile, demand from early EV adapters has led governments and businesses to invest in public charging stations. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, these developments will increase access to electric vehicles and reduce the transportation sector's carbon footprint. The transportation sector is the largest source of climate-changing greenhouse gases in the US economy.
South Florida, the lesser-known EV capital of the United States
Lucid's Brickell studio feels more like an Apple store than a car showroom. The walls are paneled with light wood and have smooth lighting. Synth-based beats ooze out of hidden speakers. Next to the actual cars on display are her pair of stand-alone car seats with virtual reality headsets on them, where customers can sit and see different types of interiors in her trim. you can see what it looks like.
During Art Basel earlier this month, Lucid hired digital art studio W1 Curates to set up wraparound screens inside and outside the showroom to display three-and-a-half-minute art videos and loops of NFTs for art enthusiasts. Attracted home. who landed in town. Among them was New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor. He recently signed a 10-year, $341 million deal and visited the showroom with his family to test drive Lucid his Air. It was a perfect scene for the luxurious luxury car market in South Florida.
Florida is the second largest electric vehicle market in the United States, after California. Miami-Dade and Broward counties have the highest sales of electric vehicles in the state, said Jennifer Saro, president of Drive Electric Florida, a trade group that promotes electric vehicle adoption in the state. South Florida is particularly strong in luxury EV sales. Szaro says: Other major markets in the state, including metropolitan areas of Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, tend to focus on more affordable electric vehicle models such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Kia Niro. AutoTrader Executive Editor Brian Moody said of the Miami automotive market: “Many of these new electric vehicles incorporate some kind of appealing factor, either through performance, luxury or design.”
Aside from the $2 million+ luxury cars from niche automakers like Lotus, Rimac and Nio (only a few dozen ever made), Lucid has built some of the world's most expensive electric cars. for sale. It has established itself as a more luxurious alternative to Tesla, the reigning champion of the high-end EV market. By lavishing the car with expensive leather and wood interiors, equipping the car with a battery that boasts over 400 miles of range, and creating avant-garde advertisements announcing new releases, the company added a "flashy element" to the brand. is woven. That branding appealed to former bank president Andy Hardin, who became obsessed with Lucid after seeing fictional high-powered attorney Sam Margolis drive a car in the Amazon Prime series "Goliath." He recently sold his cherished 1966 Ford his Thunderbird and pre-ordered his Lucid Air. "This is a top-of-the-line luxury car, but the Tesla really seemed like a top-of-the-line car, but with a starter set interior," Hardin said. "This is not luxury like luxury"
Luxury EVs Subsidize Affordable Electric Vehicles
Most of us will never own a Lucid. "Think about runway fashion," Szaro said. "How many people are buying Christian Dior? is setting the tone for Szaro says the same is true for cars. Electric cars hit the luxury market, were bought feverishly by wealthy customers, and created years-long waiting lists for cars like the Tesla Model 3 and the Rivian R1T. Encouraged by these results, the automaker is expanding its offering of more affordable EV models like the Chevy Bolt, which starts at $25,600. Chevy's parent company, GM and Honda, have announced plans to sell several models of electric vehicles for under $30,000 by 2010.
Szaro says: "And engineers working on the next generation of affordable electric vehicles will draw from that experience and say, 'How can we make something that might not be as shiny, but that can deliver the same range? Is it?’ you can think.”
Obstacles Remain for Florida's EV Adoption
Still, just 6% of the cars sold in Florida are electric, according to a September report from Atlas Public Policy and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. That number has doubled from where he was a year ago, but there is still a long way to go before electric vehicles become the dominant mode of transportation. One of the biggest obstacles is the lack of public charging stations. Fast charging is especially important in Florida, where hurricanes can force drivers to evacuate long distances quickly. “Currently, there is little infrastructure in the state to support evacuations, and most of I-75 and his I-10 in the Panhandle have little fast charging,” state officials said in his 2020 announcement. I am writing in the report.
In September, the White House approved $198 million in funding from a federal infrastructure bill to fund plans to add more charging stations in Florida. Under the plan, the state will cover an additional 4,000 miles of road and install fast-charging stations at intervals of no more than 50 miles. Each station has at least 4 plugs capable of charging 150 kW at a time.
This climate report is funded in part by private donors, Florida International University in partnership with the Knight Foundation. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all content.
This article was produced in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative formed to cover the impacts of climate change in the state.