Benzinga | Sep 2, 2020 03:19PM EDT

Lucid Motors Announces Sub-10 Second Quarter-Mile, Besting Tesla Model S

Electric vehicle developer Lucid Motors is advertising a quarter-mile time of 9.9 seconds for its Air sedan, besting the 10.4 seconds posted by the Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S .

The Air is said to have 1,080 horsepower; Lucid is set to unveil the vehicle Sept. 9, including its price and specs.

The fastest quarter mile production vehicle, the

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE:FCAU)-owned

Dodge Challenger Demon, clocks in at 9.65 seconds.

Electric cars are known for their quick zero-to-60 times and high torque, but as distances increase, they usually fall behind their gasoline-powered counterparts.

Benzinga's Take: While many have said the Tesla killer would come from a legacy auto manufacturer, startups are proving to be the real competition.

Creating a newly designed car with electric propulsion in mind, exactly as Tesla did, can give an advantage when it comes to power and efficiency. Tesla's battery and shareholder day is Sept. 22, and new battery technology and possibly more powerful vehicles are expected to be displayed.

Photo courtesy of Lucid Motors.