Lucid Cosmos And Earth: Everything We Know About The Tesla Model Y Rivals
Lucid's $50,000 Cosmos is coming in 2026. Here's everything we know about it.
It’s tough to dispute Lucid’s status as a leader in EV tech. The startup’s Air sedan goes well over 500 miles on a full charge, farther than any other electric car on sale here in the U.S. The car is wildly efficient and strikingly designed to boot. But one thing the company has had trouble with thus far is making money.
Lucid hopes that some new products will change that. The Gravity full-size SUV entered production at the end of 2024, with the aim of opening up the startup to a vast new customer base. But the production ramp-up has been slow, and Lucid's future increasingly rides on a new project: its midsize platform.
The first model hitting the U.S. will be the Cosmos. Here’s what we know so far.
Lucid has released only a couple of shadowy teaser images of the upcoming model.
Lucid's Cosmos EV: The Basics
Lucid's midsize platform will spawn at least three different vehicles. First up is the Cosmos, a sleek, smooth crossover that takes direct aim at the Tesla Model Y. So far, Lucid has only shown off shadowy teasers and images of cars under sheets, but it appears that the Cosmos is depicted above.
Next up will be the Earth, which will lean more rugged. A third yet-unnamed model will be even more catered to the more adventurous set, Lucid says. We don't have any details yet, but a teaser the company showed off at a recent investor day depicted a boxier, more upright design than the Cosmos or Earth.
Gallery: Lucid Cosmos Patent Images
The design of the Cosmos was also apparently revealed in patent drawings filed in Europe this month. The drawings show a vehicle that looks a lot like a shrunken-down Gravity, with an unusual rear wing that crosses the back glass.
More Lucid Stories
How Much Will It Cost?
Lucid executives have said the midsize Lucid will cost around $50,000. For comparison, Lucid's current cheapest model, the Air Pure starts at $69,900. So the midsize vehicle should open up Lucid to buyers who want to spend a little less, and who want a compact crossover.
An official teaser of Lucid's midsize EV
However, there’s a good chance that the entry-level variant won’t be available immediately upon the vehicle’s launch. That tends to be how it goes with new EV launches, including the Air and Gravity.
And it's worth noting, while the Model Y remains the car to beat in the EV space, the Cosmos will cost slightly more. Last year, Tesla started selling a more basic Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive that costs $39,990. The Cosmos will run you about as much as a Model Y Premium All-Wheel Drive. We'll have to see how the EVs stack up specs-wise.
Lucid Cosmos Battery, Motors, And Range
Energy efficiency isn’t the sexiest thing to think about, but it is a core part of the way Lucid designs its vehicles. The midsize vehicle will be no exception.
To be competitive, the vehicle would need to deliver at least 300 miles of range. A focus on efficiency should help. At this year's investor event, Lucid executives said the Cosmos would only need 69 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity to go 300 miles on a full charge. The company's chief engineer said that doesn't necessarily mean the Cosmos will have exactly 300 miles of range, and that it could have more. The vehicle's drag coefficient is a slippery 0.22, which points to a very aerodynamic design.
Lucid has developed a new drive unit, which it calls Atlas, that will power the midsize vehicles. The company says the new motor is 23% lighter and has 30% fewer parts than its current-generation drive units.
The Cosmos and Earth will use an 800-volt battery system—much like Lucid's current EVs—and will support bidirectional charging. That should allow for quicker charging, and is one differentiator between Lucid's upcoming models and the Rivian R2 and Tesla Model Y, which both operate at around 400V.
Lucid Cosmos Interior And Tech
Instead of the typical gauge-cluster-plus-center-screen setup you see in most vehicles, the Cosmos will have just one large display. A 36-inch-wide rectangular screen will stretch from behind the crossover's steering wheel and stretch across most of the dashboard.
Lucid midsize interior
What Kind Of Self-Driving Tech Will It Offer?
What's more, the company's more affordable EV will be the first in the lineup to get a Level 4-capable advanced driver assistance system. According to SAE (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) a Level 4-enabled vehicle can drive itself from point A to point B without any human supervision under certain conditions, while a Level 5 car can do it all the time, irrespective of the weather or other factors. (Waymo's taxis, for example, would be classified as Level 4.)
In Lucid's case, the new system has been outsourced to Nvidia, so the midsize electric crossover will get two of the chipmaker's Drive AGX Thor computers, as well as its "multi-sensor suite architecture," which includes lidar, radar and cameras.
At first, the entry-level EV will be capable of Level 2 eyes-on assisted driving, similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite. However, the cars will be upgraded to Level 4 over "a couple of years" after launch, according to a company representative.
When Will Lucid's Cosmos SUV Go On Sale?
Lucid says it will start production of the new model by the end of this year at its factory in Saudi Arabia, and the first examples will go on sale in North America in 2027. Six to 12 months after the start of production, Lucid will start making the crossover at its U.S. factory in Arizona.
Update Sept. 11, 2024: At Lucid's Technology and Manufacturing Day on September 10, 2024, Lucid released a teaser image (see below) of its upcoming midsize crossover and stated, "The midsize platform is scheduled to start production in late 2026 with a starting price under $50,000."
Update Oct. 30, 2025: Added information about Lucid's Nvidia-based Level 4 driving assistance system plans, as well as another teaser photo published by the automaker.
Update June 29, 2026: Added information on design, technology, battery, range, and production timing from patent images, company statements, and Lucid's Investor Day
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