14,000-Mile Efficiency Analysis: 2026 Gravity GT (20"/21" Wheels) — 3 Road Trips, Summer vs. Fall, & Factory Alignment

[torvald27]

I’ve been tracking the efficiency of my 2026 Gravity Grand Touring over the past few months to see if there has been any drop-off heading into fall here in the Twin Cities, and to understand how my real-world numbers compare to the 437-mile EPA rating.
To get a clear picture, I exported a month of recent trip data from LucidTracker.app (1,407 miles from Sept 22 to Oct 22, which included a road trip from the Twin Cities to Chicago and back) and compared it against screen photos from two closed-loop summer road trips: a 2,969-mile trip from the Twin Cities to Telluride, CO, over to the Milwaukee area, and back home in June, and a 1,691-mile family trip to the Black Hills in late August. I used Gemini Argon to help me with the analysis.

TL;DR — Overview & Key Findings​

• EPA Range (437 mi) vs. Highway Speed & Weather: The EPA test cycle runs at low average speeds where the Gravity's 0.24 drag coefficient really shines. Once you get above 65 mph—or drive into cold air and headwinds—you still have to push the large frontal area of a 3-row SUV through the air. Because the car is so efficient at 45–60 mph, the drop-off at 75–80 mph looks steeper on the trip computer than it does in boxier EVs that get poor efficiency at all speeds. Overall, my highway numbers line up closely with Tom Moloughney’s 70 mph test (3.00 mi/kWh / 345 miles) and Edmunds' mixed range test.
• Real-World Efficiency & Range Benchmarks (20"/21" Wheels on OEM Hankook Tires):
  • 65–70 mph Flat Highway (Mild/Warm Weather): 2.94 – 3.05 mi/kWh (~330–340 Wh/mi) -> ~360–375 miles of 100%–0% range.
  • 70–75 mph Interstate (Normal Winds): 2.60 – 2.75 mi/kWh (~365–385 Wh/mi) -> ~320–340 miles of range.
  • 75–80+ mph Interstate / Windy Conditions: 2.42 – 2.55 mi/kWh (~395–415 Wh/mi) -> ~295–315 miles of range.
  • 35–55 mph Mountain Driving: 3.10 – 3.25 mi/kWh (~308–323 Wh/mi) -> ~380–400 miles of range.
  • 10–40 Mile Suburban Driving: 2.80 – 3.40 mi/kWh (~295–360 Wh/mi).
  • Short Local Errands (<5 miles in 40s–50s°F): 400 – 570+ Wh/mi due to initial cabin/battery heating spread over just a few miles.
• Check Your Factory Alignment: My factory rear alignment from Lucid was well out of spec (-0.77° of Total Rear Toe-Out instead of +0.15° to +0.35° Total Toe-In), which wore through parts of my rear tires in about 10,000 miles. I put a new set of OEM Hankook iON evo AS SUV tires on July 31 and had an alignment done on August 6 at 10,257 miles. Fixing the rear toe scrub appears to have offset the usual 5–8% rolling-resistance penalty of brand-new, full-tread tires.

Fair warning: The rest of this post is a very long, leg-by-leg breakdown of the numbers and probably more detail than most people care to read. But for the data nerds who want to see how elevation, speed limits, and weather affected each segment, here are the details.

Vehicle Configuration​

• Model: 2026 Lucid Gravity Grand Touring (3-Row)
• Wheels/Tires: 20"/21" staggered wheels with OEM Hankook iON evo AS SUV tires
• EPA Rating: 437 miles (~3.55 mi/kWh battery-to-wheels / 3.08 mi/kWh wall-to-wheels)
• Odometer / Long-Term Average: Currently over 14,000 miles. Lifetime Trip B sat at 2.57 mi/kWh at 6,098 miles (early June), 2.66 mi/kWh at 8,779 miles (mid-June), and 2.72 mi/kWh (368 Wh/mi) at 12,155 miles (end of August).

1. Comparing Three Major Road Trips​

Trip 1: June — Twin Cities → Telluride, CO → Oconomowoc, WI → Twin Cities (2,969.0 Miles Closed Loop)​

I reset Trip A when leaving home in the Twin Cities (~915 ft elevation) and captured screen photos at charging stops along the entire 2,969-mile loop.
Phase A: Twin Cities to Telluride, CO (1,193.0 mi | 427.9 kWh | 2.78 mi/kWh / 359 Wh/mi — Net Climb: +7,835 ft)

• Twin Cities → Sioux City, IA: 287.3 mi | 96.3 kWh | 2.98 mi/kWh (335 Wh/mi) (65–70 mph)
• Sioux City, IA → Wood River, NE: 191.2 mi | 67.1 kWh | 2.85 mi/kWh (351 Wh/mi) (+865 ft climb on US-77 / I-80 W)
• Wood River, NE → Ogallala, NE (Hotel L2): 183.4 mi | 67.4 kWh | 2.72 mi/kWh (368 Wh/mi) (+1,250 ft climb on I-80 W at 75 mph, followed by a 6.0 mi / 3.3 kWh local morning hop)
• Ogallala, NE → Aspen Park, CO: 234.7 mi (Since Last Charge) | 103.5 kWh | 2.26 mi/kWh (441 Wh/mi)(+4,925 ft climb from 3,215 ft up to ~8,140 ft via I-76 W & US-285 S)
• Aspen Park, CO → Top of Monarch Pass (11,312 ft): 126.5 mi | 44.9 kWh | 2.81 mi/kWh (355 Wh/mi)(+3,172 ft climb)
• Monarch Pass Descent (Summit to Sargents, CO): 9.8 mi (-2,835 ft drop). Regenerative braking put 3.6 kWh net back into the pack (Since Last Charge dropped from 44.9 kWh at the top to 41.3 kWh at the bottom, raising the leg average from 2.81 to 3.29 mi/kWh).
• Bottom of Monarch Pass → Montrose, CO: 96.7 mi (-2,670 ft net drop) | 24.4 kWh | 3.96 mi/kWh (252 Wh/mi) (Full 233.0-mile leg from Aspen Park to Montrose used 65.7 kWh = 3.54 mi/kWh).
• Montrose, CO → Telluride, CO: 63.1 mi | 27.8 kWh | 2.26 mi/kWh (441 Wh/mi) (+2,943 ft climb to 8,750 ft)

Phase B: Telluride, CO to Fort Morgan, CO (436.0 mi | 132.6 kWh | 3.29 mi/kWh / 304 Wh/mi — Net Drop: -4,426 ft)

• Telluride → Ridgway, CO (6/11): 38.8 mi | 7.8 kWh | 5.00 mi/kWh (201 Wh/mi) (-1,765 ft descent)
• Ridgway → Clifton / Grand Junction, CO: 85.2 mi (-2,280 ft drop) | 21.8 kWh | 3.91 mi/kWh (256 Wh/mi) (Combined 124.0 mi from Telluride to Clifton used 29.6 kWh = 4.19 mi/kWh).
• Clifton → Edwards, CO: 127.0 mi (+2,455 ft climb on I-70 E) | 49.3 kWh | 2.58 mi/kWh (388 Wh/mi)(Since Last Charge from Telluride: 250.5 mi / 78.9 kWh = 3.17 mi/kWh).
• Edwards → Fort Morgan, CO: 185.5 mi | 53.3 kWh | 3.48 mi/kWh (287 Wh/mi) (Climbed over Vail Pass at 10,662 ft and the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft, then descended the Front Range to 4,324 ft).

Phase C: Fort Morgan, CO to Oconomowoc, WI on June 12 (925.5 mi | 308.1 kWh | 3.00 mi/kWh / 333 Wh/mi — Net Drop: -3,458 ft)

• Fort Morgan, CO → North Platte, NE: 177.7 mi | 65.7 kWh | 2.70 mi/kWh (370 Wh/mi) (-1,524 ft drop, 75 mph limit, 15–25 mph S crosswind)
• North Platte, NE → Lincoln, NE: 218.0 mi | 74.9 kWh | 2.91 mi/kWh (344 Wh/mi) (-1,624 ft drop, 80–85°F)
• Lincoln, NE → Williamsburg, IA: 273.8 mi | 86.7 kWh | 3.16 mi/kWh (317 Wh/mi) (70 mph limit, warm 81–85°F SSW quartering tailwind)
• Williamsburg, IA → Oconomowoc, WI: 256.0 mi | 80.8 kWh | 3.16 mi/kWh (316 Wh/mi) (65–70 mph via US-151 N through Dubuque/Madison to I-94 E)

Phase D: Oconomowoc, WI to Twin Cities on June 12–14 (414.0 mi | 157.4 kWh | 2.63 mi/kWh / 380 Wh/mi — Flat Net Elevation)

• Oconomowoc Local + I-94 W to Mid-Route Charger: 260.5 mi | 98.8 kWh | 2.64 mi/kWh (379 Wh/mi)
• Mid-Route Charger → Twin Cities Home (6/14): 153.5 mi | 58.6 kWh | 2.61 mi/kWh (382 Wh/mi) (70–75 mph on I-94 W)
• Full 2,969-Mile Closed-Loop Average: 2,969.0 miles | 1,026.0 kWh | 2.88 mi/kWh (346 Wh/mi)

Trip 2: August 22–29 — Twin Cities to Lead, SD / Black Hills (1,691.0 Miles Closed Loop)​

• Conditions: Five people in the car plus a full week of luggage. Round-trip loop (zero net elevation change), 77°F–90°F, dry, with long stretches at 80-85 mph on I-90 in South Dakota.
• Twin Cities ↔ Worthington, MN (65–70 mph via US-169 / MN-60 / I-90):
  • Outbound (+675 ft climb): 184.9 mi | 65.2 kWh | 2.83 mi/kWh (353 Wh/mi)
  • Return (-675 ft drop): 185.0 mi | 60.0 kWh | 3.08 mi/kWh (324 Wh/mi)
  • Combined MN Average (370 mi): 2.95 mi/kWh (339 Wh/mi)
• South Dakota I-90 Segments (80 mph speed limit):
  • Worthington → Chamberlain, SD (Outbound): 204.0 mi | 78.9 kWh | 2.59 mi/kWh (387 Wh/mi)
  • Chamberlain → Wall, SD (Outbound, including the Badlands Loop & +1,411 ft climb into a WNW headwind): 173.4 mi | 76.3 kWh | 2.26 mi/kWh (440 Wh/mi)
  • Wall → Rapid City, SD (Outbound, +384 ft climb): 54.5 mi | 22.8 kWh | 2.39 mi/kWh (418 Wh/mi). (At the Rapid City EA station, the car pulled 45.77 kWh in 16 minutes—peaking at 217 kW and averaging 171 kW up to 80% SoC).
  • Rapid City → Chamberlain (Return, -1,795 ft drop): 210.9 mi | 81.7 kWh | 2.57 mi/kWh (387 Wh/mi)
  • Chamberlain → Worthington (Return, +183 ft climb, 90°F): 188.5 mi | 75.8 kWh | 2.49 mi/kWh (402 Wh/mi)
  • Combined SD I-90 Average (777 miles): 2.48 mi/kWh (402 Wh/mi)
• Black Hills Driving (489.2 miles over 5 days):
  • Between our outbound and return charges in Rapid City, we stayed at a rental house in Lead (5,282 ft) and drove around the Hills (Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Jewel Cave) at 35–55 mph while using a 120V Level 1 outlet overnight, which added about 80 kWh over the 5 nights.
  • Across those 489.2 miles (starting and ending at the Rapid City EA charger), the car used 153.1 kWh,averaging 3.20 mi/kWh (313 Wh/mi).
  • The final 53.3-mile drive from the cabin in Lead (5,282 ft) down to Rapid City (3,202 ft) used 11.3 kWh, or 4.71 mi/kWh (212 Wh/mi).
• Full 1,691-Mile Trip Average: 2.75 mi/kWh (363 Wh/mi)
  

Trip 3: October 2–4 — Twin Cities to Milwaukee & Chicago Loop (780.9 Miles)​

• Conditions: Logged via LucidTracker.app. Cooler temperatures (48°F–71°F) with 20–26 mph NNW/WNW wind gusts on the Wisconsin legs.
• Twin Cities ↔ Wisconsin I-94 legs (66–75 mph average moving speed in gusty winds): 2.42 mi/kWh (414 Wh/mi) over 596.5 miles.
• Oconomowoc ↔ Chicago Round-Trip (69°F, light wind, ~64 mph average speed): 2.94 mi/kWh (340 Wh/mi) over 235.1 miles (2.86 mi/kWh outbound, 3.03 mi/kWh return).
• Full 780.9-Mile Trip Average: 2.53 mi/kWh (396 Wh/mi)

Why the June 14 vs. October 2–4 I-94 Comparison Matters: At first, comparing my June 12 Fort Morgan-to-Oconomowoc drive (3.00 mi/kWh / 333 Wh/mi) against my October Wisconsin trip (2.53 mi/kWh / 396 Wh/mi) made me wonder if efficiency had dropped off. However, looking at my June 14 leg from Oconomowoc back to the Twin Cities on I-94—without the 3,458-foot elevation drop from Colorado—shows 2.63 mi/kWh (380 Wh/mi) overall and 2.61 mi/kWh (382 Wh/mi) on the final 153.5 miles home. Once you factor in cooler October air, gusty headwinds, and LucidTracker.app counting stationary overhead that the in-car "usage while driving" screen excludes, June and October performance on the exact same highway are nearly identical.

2. Local Driving & Fall Weather (LucidTracker.app Data, Sep 22 – Oct 22)​

A few observations from the 81 trips logged over the past month:

• Short Trips (<5 miles): As morning temperatures dropped into the 40s and 50s°F, short errands around town routinely showed 400–570 Wh/mi because initial cabin and battery heating is spread over just a few miles.
• Medium Local Trips (10–40 miles): Once the cabin is up to temperature, 10-to-40-mile metro trips consistently land between 2.77 and 3.43 mi/kWh (292 to 361 Wh/mi). Even on October 15 during a 51°F rainstorm (0.69" of rain), two 37-mile trips averaged 2.78 mi/kWh (360 Wh/mi).

3. Note on Factory Alignment & Tire Wear​

My original factory alignment from Lucid was out of spec in the rear, and it wore through parts of my rear tires in about 10,000 miles. I replaced the tires on July 31 with the same OEM Hankook iON evo AS SUV tires and had an alignment done on August 6 at 10,257 miles:

• Factory Rear Toe Spec: +0.08° to +0.18° per side (+0.15° to +0.35° Total Toe-In)
• Before Measurements: -0.44° Left Rear and -0.33° Right Rear, for -0.77° of Total Rear Toe-Out.
• After Measurements: +0.13° Left Rear and +0.11° Right Rear (+0.24° Total Toe-In).

Usually, switching from worn tires to brand-new tires with full tread depth increases rolling resistance by 5–8%. In my case, fixing -0.77° of rear toe-out appears to have offset the new-tire penalty, as my 65–70 mph flat-highway numbers in August (2.95 mi/kWh) and October (2.94 mi/kWh) stayed right in line with early June (2.98 mi/kWh on the Twin Cities-to-Sioux City leg). If you haven't had your alignment checked since delivery, it is worth putting it on a rack so you don't go through a set of rear tires early.

I hope this helps folks better understand real world efficiency and how sensitive the Gravity is to speed and different weather conditions.

 

[ke2]

@torvald27 where did you get to wheel alignment done? Did you have things done at a Lucid service enter or would a place such as Discount Tire be able to align things?

 

[torvald27]

@torvald27 where did you get to wheel alignment done? Did you have things done at a Lucid service enter or would a place such as Discount Tire be able to align things?

Discount Tire cannot do it. My understanding is that only Lucid can do it, at least on vehicles with the dynamical handling package (rear steering).
I am in the Twin Cities with no service center, so my mobile tech did it at a partner alignment shop. The interesting thing (to me, at least) is that with rear wheel steering, aligning the rear wheels is purely done via software. They put the Gravity into a service mode and then adjust the rear wheel steering actuators to set a new default "zero" that is aligned.

 

[ke2]

@torvald27 thank you for your quick response. I too have the dynamic handling package (and thus the rear wheel steering) and was pretty sure Lucid would have to do it. Though I will say this sounds like something that could be farmed out to other non Lucid shops to lighten the load on the Lucid Service Center network.

 

[eelpout]

Discount Tire cannot do it. My understanding is that only Lucid can do it, at least on vehicles with the dynamical handling package (rear steering).
I am in the Twin Cities with no service center, so my mobile tech did it at a partner alignment shop. The interesting thing (to me, at least) is that with rear wheel steering, aligning the rear wheels is purely done via software. They put the Gravity into a service mode and then adjust the rear wheel steering actuators to set a new default "zero" that is aligned.

@torvald27 Though I will say this sounds like something that could be farmed out to other non Lucid shops to lighten the load on the Lucid Service Center network.

yeah so a local tire shop could do it with the right software loaded on their equipment is the way I read all this.

I wonder if local shops do alignments on other brands that have rear steering like Mercedes-Benz? No idea.

 

[zoomzoom]

Great data, very helpful to the community.

I have a GGT, 7 seater, 21-22 inch tires, Bay area driver with 10k miles. I don't have tons of opportunities to step on it but I do when i get a chance and certainly make more aggressive moves than I did in my Subaru. I will routinely try to cruise up to 80 MPH when able. I have the AC going and dual massage chairs on longer trips. I have zero interest in trying to maximize my efficiency or become a hyper-miler. Depending on conditions and speed I will range from 2.5 - 3 mi/kWh between daily driving and longer trips. Over 10k miles my overall lifetime average is 2.7 mi/kWh which includes several trips ~100-200 miles each way and an average daily commute of ~20 miles round trip.

 

[tmichael]

Can a tire outlet put it on a rack and measure the alignment, even though they might not be able to adjust it?

 

[Need4Sleep]

Discount Tire cannot do it. My understanding is that only Lucid can do it, at least on vehicles with the dynamical handling package (rear steering).
I am in the Twin Cities with no service center, so my mobile tech did it at a partner alignment shop. The interesting thing (to me, at least) is that with rear wheel steering, aligning the rear wheels is purely done via software. They put the Gravity into a service mode and then adjust the rear wheel steering actuators to set a new default "zero" that is aligned.

Now that I think about it, that's a pretty neat advantage of the decision to use separate actuators for the rear wheel steering