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Lucid Air Dream Edition gets an in-depth review and speedy test drive at the hands of Jay Leno

Credit: Jay Leno's Garage | YouTube

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Automotive enthusiast Jay Leno is one of the most knowledgeable celebrities in the world when it comes to cars. In recent years, Leno has gotten his hands on some of the best and most exciting vehicles to enter the electric sector, including the Tesla Cybertruck. Despite Leno’s close-knit friendship with Elon Musk, the former late-night TV show host does not show bias when displaying his thirst for the newest and most advanced electric powertrains in the world. Recently, Leno got his hands on the Lucid Air Dream Edition. Following discussions with Senior VP of Design Derek Jenkins and company CEO/CTO Peter Rawlinson, Leno was impressed with what Lucid brought to the table with its first vehicle offering.

Leno’s first thoughts regarding the introduction of the Lucid Air were simple: competition is great for the automotive sector. He notes that Ford and Chevrolet, with their constant need to one-up each other and break competition barriers, made one another better.

Dreams Come True: Lucid delivers the Air Dream Edition

It appears to be the same narrative with Tesla and Lucid, two electric car companies fighting for the top spot as the marker of the EV sector’s most luxurious vehicles. Tesla may be slightly more notable due to its fourteen-year history of building electric cars, starting with the Roadster in 2008, a vehicle that Leno still speaks about to this day. However, Lucid has come into the market with a very competitive product that undoubtedly rivals the Tesla Model S Plaid, another vehicle Leno has taken for a spin in the past.

Jenkins showed Leno the finer points of the Lucid Air, detailing the all-aluminum body, a wide-set wheelbase that is more comparable to a Mercedes-Benz S Class than any other vehicle, and the spacious interior that provides a luxurious feel.

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Credit: Jay Leno’s Garage | YouTube

Then came the fun part: driving the Lucid Air Dream Edition. Leno has driven many of the world’s most unique vehicles, but his narrative of the Air was definitely positive. He seemed to enjoy the company’s vertical integration with its in-house produced motors, a part that Rawlinson said was designed from the ground up by Lucid engineers. Rawlinson also stated that all of the Air’s EV technology, including the battery pack, were all designed and developed at the company’s Arizona-based facility.

Jay’s synopsis regarding the Air’s performance catalyzed some interesting thoughts regarding Lucid’s development of the vehicle’s most-premier variant. Rawlinson says the Air Dream Edition was not geared for a world-record 0-60 MPH time, although it stands at a lightning-quick 2.4 seconds.

Leno enjoyed hearing the finer points of the Lucid Air from CEO/CTO Peter Rawlinson (Credit: Jay Leno’s Garage | YouTube)

Rawlinson says that Lucid’s goal wasn’t to necessarily have the car launch from a standstill to 60 MPH, but it was designed to give instant torque when the car is already in motion. One example of where the quick acceleration is applicable is on the freeway, Rawlinson said, when trying to overtake a car or fill in a gap. The mid-range punch that the vehicle’s powertrain provides is more than enough acceleration to make each of these maneuvers on a highway easily attainable.

Check out Leno’s full review of the Lucid Air Dream Edition below.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla cleared in Canada EV rebate investigation

Tesla has been cleared in an investigation into the company’s staggering number of EV rebate claims in Canada in January.

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Credit: Tesla

Canadian officials have cleared Tesla following an investigation into a large number of claims submitted to the country’s electric vehicle (EV) rebates earlier this year.

Transport Canada has ruled that there was no evidence of fraud after Tesla submitted 8,653 EV rebate claims for the country’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program, as detailed in a report on Friday from The Globe and Mail. Despite the huge number of claims, Canadian authorities have found that the figure represented vehicles that had been delivered prior to the submission deadline for the program.

According to Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, the claims “were determined to legitimately represent cars sold before January 12,” which was the final day for OEMs to submit these claims before the government suspended the program.

Upon initial reporting of the Tesla claims submitted in January, it was estimated that they were valued at around $43 million. In March, Freeland and Transport Canada opened the investigation into Tesla, noting that they would be freezing the rebate payments until the claims were found to be valid.

READ MORE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EVs getting cleaner more quickly than expected in Europe: study

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Huw Williams, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Public Affairs Director, accepted the results of the investigation, while also questioning how Tesla knew to submit the claims that weekend, just before the program ran out.

“I think there’s a larger question as to how Tesla knew to run those through on that weekend,” Williams said. “It doesn’t appear to me that we have an investigation into any communication between Transport Canada and Tesla, between officials who may have shared information inappropriately.”

Tesla sales have been down in Canada for the first half of this year, amidst turmoil between the country and the Trump administration’s tariffs. Although Elon Musk has since stepped back from his role with the administration, a number of companies and officials in Canada were calling for a boycott of Tesla’s vehicles earlier this year, due in part to his association with Trump.

Tesla excluded from incentives in Canada over Trump tariffs

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Tesla Semis to get 18 new Megachargers at this PepsiCo plant

PepsiCo is set to add more Tesla Semi Megachargers, this time at a facility in North Carolina.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla partner PepsiCo is set to build new Semi charging stations at one of its manufacturing sites, as revealed in new permitting plans shared this week.

On Friday, Tesla charging station scout MarcoRP shared plans on X for 18 Semi Megacharging stalls at PepsiCo’s facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, coming as the latest update plans for the company’s increasingly electrified fleet. The stalls are set to be built side by side, along with three Tesla Megapack grid-scale battery systems.

The plans also note the faster charging speeds for the chargers, which can charge the Class 8 Semi at speeds of up to 1MW. Tesla says that the speed can charge the Semi back to roughly 70 percent in around 30 minutes.

You can see the site plans for the PepsiCo North Carolina Megacharger below.

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)

READ MORE ON THE TESLA SEMI: Tesla to build Semi Megacharger station in Southern California

PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi fleet, other Megachargers, and initial tests and deliveries

PepsiCo was the first external customer to take delivery of Tesla’s Semis back in 2023, starting with just an initial order of 15. Since then, the company has continued to expand the fleet, recently taking delivery of an additional 50 units in California. The PepsiCo fleet was up to around 86 units as of last year, according to statements from Semi Senior Manager Dan Priestley.

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Additionally, the company has similar Megachargers at its facilities in Modesto, Sacramento, and Fresno, California, and Tesla also submitted plans for approval to build 12 new Megacharging stalls in Los Angeles County.

Over the past couple of years, Tesla has also been delivering the electric Class 8 units to a number of other companies for pilot programs, and Priestley shared some results from PepsiCo’s initial Semi tests last year. Notably, the executive spoke with a handful of PepsiCo workers who said they really liked the Semi and wouldn’t plan on going back to diesel trucks.

The company is also nearing completion of a higher-volume Semi plant at its Gigafactory in Nevada, which is expected to eventually have an annual production capacity of 50,000 Semi units.

Tesla executive teases plan to further electrify supply chain

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Tesla sales soar in Norway with new Model Y leading the charge

Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is seeing strong momentum in Norway, with sales of the new Model Y helping the company maintain dominance in one of the world’s most electric vehicle-friendly markets.

Model Y upgrades and consumer preferences

According to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June. The Model Y led the charge, posting a 115% increase compared to the same period last year. Tesla Norway’s growth was even more notable in May, with sales surging a whopping 213%, as noted in a CNBC report.

Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), stated that Tesla’s strong market performance was partly due to the updated Model Y, which is really just a good car, period.

“I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need. What Norwegians need, a large luggage space, all wheel drive, and a tow hitch, high ground clearance as well. In addition, quite good digital solutions which people have gotten used to, and also a charging network,” she said.

Tesla in Europe

Tesla’s success in Norway is supported by long-standing government incentives for EV adoption, including exemptions from VAT, road toll discounts, and access to bus lanes. Public and home charging infrastructure is also widely available, making the EV ownership experience in the country very convenient.

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Tesla’s performance in Europe is still a mixed bag, with markets like Germany and France still seeing declines in recent months. In areas such as Norway, Spain, and Portugal, however, Tesla’s new car registrations are rising. Spain’s sales rose 61% and Portugal’s sales rose 7% last month. This suggests that regional demand may be stabilizing or rebounding in pockets of Europe.

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