300 Mile Road Trip: Impressive Efficiency!

[Bobby]

@mcr16 I hope Lucid offers and option to predict the range based user choice other than the EPA miles per kWh or use the lifetime average miles per kWh by default and modify it based on the actual driving efficiency and save us the mental calculation. That is how most ICE cars do as you know.

This was a very popular item in the MEGA POLL, and Lucid is aware of it.

 

[Bus Driver]

I don’t bring my own shower head, but I do bring my own spanner and a mini-screwdriver set. The better to destroy every flow restrictor in every hotel room shower that I meet. Yes, you’re welcome.

 

[Bus Driver]

Do either of those cars (i4 and ev6) ride on 21" 265s? From what we've seen, the 21" wheels on the Lucid come with a fairly sizable range penalty.

Owners on the 19" wheels have shown efficiencies over 4mi/kWh

Over 4mi/kWh?! I’ve never seen that, and I’m riding on 19s…maybe it has to do with my 150 lb right foot…

 

[Bobby]

I don’t bring my own shower head, but I do bring my own spanner and a mini-screwdriver set. The better to destroy every flow restrictor in every hotel room shower that I meet. Yes, you’re welcome.

The showerhead is the tip of the iceberg. Maybe I'll do a video one day about all the things I bring when I travel. In 2020, I traveled 49 out of the 52 weeks for work. Yes, right in the middle of COVID-19.

 

[Bus Driver]

Thanks for the great video review, Bobby. My weekly commute to work is similar to the 300 mile trip you did to TNP. My commute is 282 miles round trip.

Based on my 19”s, HA set at 80 mph, I get home with about 17% remaining. I’m not very efficient. I’ve also had the HVAC running the entire time, as well as the music, steering wheel heater, seat heater, and seat massager.

I HAVE noticed though, on my most recent round trip drive, that if I back off even a little on the speed, to say, 75 mph, with all other variables remaining the same, I get home with 24% remaining. Evidently a little reduction in speed goes a long way.

The above numbers are based on leaving my house at 100% charge. Now that I a pretty good idea on what my car can do, I only charge to 90% before leaving. It’s much easier on the battery, and should delay the onset of battery degradation.

Great job on your latest video!

 

[Bobby]

Thanks for the great video review, Bobby. My weekly commute to work is similar to the 300 mile trip you did to TNP. My commute is 282 miles round trip.

Based on my 19”s, HA set at 80 mph, I get home with about 17% remaining. I’m not very efficient. I’ve also had the HVAC running the entire time, as well as the music, steering wheel heater, seat heater, and seat massager.

I HAVE noticed though, on my most recent round trip drive, that if I back off even a little on the speed, to say, 75 mph, with all other variables remaining the same, I get home with 24% remaining. Evidently a little reduction in speed goes a long way.

The above numbers are based on leaving my house at 100% charge. Now that I a pretty good idea on what my car can do, I only charge to 90% before leaving. It’s much easier on the battery, and should delay the onset of battery degradation.

Great job on your latest video!

You are an excellent case study. Do the trip at 80, 75, 70. Painful, I know. Report back your efficiencies!

 

[windscar911]

Over 4mi/kWh?! I’ve never seen that, and I’m riding on 19s…maybe it has to do with my 150 lb right foot…

Thanks for the great video review, Bobby. My weekly commute to work is similar to the 300 mile trip you did to TNP. My commute is 282 miles round trip.

Based on my 19”s, HA set at 80 mph, I get home with about 17% remaining. I’m not very efficient. I’ve also had the HVAC running the entire time, as well as the music, steering wheel heater, seat heater, and seat massager.

I HAVE noticed though, on my most recent round trip drive, that if I back off even a little on the speed, to say, 75 mph, with all other variables remaining the same, I get home with 24% remaining. Evidently a little reduction in speed goes a long way.

The above numbers are based on leaving my house at 100% charge. Now that I a pretty good idea on what my car can do, I only charge to 90% before leaving. It’s much easier on the battery, and should delay the onset of battery degradation.

Great job on your latest video!

Yeah it entirely comes down to cruising at 70+ mph. If you keep it below 70, it's definitely going to beat the 21" GT cars.

Having all the creature comforts on has an impact for sure but turning it off only has small savings compared to just driving painfully slow

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Over 4mi/kWh?! I’ve never seen that, and I’m riding on 19s…maybe it has to do with my 150 lb right foot…

Here’s 3 examples of 4.0 or better on 19”. Mostly due to helpful ambient temperature, speeds 65-75mph.

 

[Lucken]

Do either of those cars (i4 and ev6) ride on 21" 265s? From what we've seen, the 21" wheels on the Lucid come with a fairly sizable range penalty.

Owners on the 19" wheels have shown efficiencies over 4mi/kWh

You can get the i4 on 18”, 19”, 20” and I believe 21”.

 

[Bobby]

You can get the i4 on 18”, 19”, 20” and I believe 21”.

From BMW:

• BMW i4 eDrive40
  18" wheels (225/50R18): 301 miles
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 282 miles
• BMW i4 M50
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 270 miles
  20" wheels (255/35R20 / 285/30R20): 227 miles

 

[Lucken]

From BMW:

• BMW i4 eDrive40
  18" wheels (225/50R18): 301 miles
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 282 miles
• BMW i4 M50
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 270 miles
  20" wheels (255/35R20 / 285/30R20): 227 miles

That’s why I never gave any consideration to the 20” wheels. The range hit, at least on paper, is crazy

 

[windscar911]

From BMW:

• BMW i4 eDrive40
  18" wheels (225/50R18): 301 miles
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 282 miles
• BMW i4 M50
  19" wheels (245/40R19 / 255/40R19): 270 miles
  20" wheels (255/35R20 / 285/30R20): 227 miles

Okay so the i4 M50 has an 81kWh battery. Which means it's EPA rated at 3.3mi/kWh on 19" wheels and EPA rated at 2.8mi/kWh with the 20". (Someone check my math pls)

Now we know the EPA ratings are generous if anything. But what this says is that even under the best of conditions(EPA vs EPA) the Lucid absolutely wipes the floor with the BMW in terms of efficiency. (Air GT is rated at 4.2 and 4.6 for 21" and 19" wheels respectively).

I'm sure this comparison isn't perfect but I do think that this car stands apart from the rest in terms of range and efficiency (well maybe eqs is similar)

 

[Lucken]

Okay so the i4 M50 has an 81kWh battery. Which means it's EPA rated at 3.3mi/kWh on 19" wheels and EPA rated at 2.8mi/kWh with the 20". (Someone check my math pls)

Now we know the EPA ratings are generous if anything. But what this says is that even under the best of conditions(EPA vs EPA) the Lucid absolutely wipes the floor with the BMW in terms of efficiency. (Air GT is rated at 4.2 and 4.6 for 21" and 19" wheels respectively).

I'm sure this comparison isn't perfect but I do think that this car stands apart from the rest in terms of range and efficiency (well maybe eqs is similar)

Actually not when it comes to many German cars. My i4 significantly exceeds its EPA ratings. Same is true of the Taycan. In fact, despite the larger battery of the Lucid and what I see from most owners struggling to meet Lucid’s range claims, I’m not expecting any significant increase in range with the Pure vs the i4. I’d be delighted to be proven wrong, but only my ownership of the Pure will confirm one way or the other.

 

[windscar911]

Actually not when it comes to many German cars. My i4 significantly exceeds its EPA ratings. Same is true of the Taycan. In fact, despite the larger battery of the Lucid and what I see from most owners struggling to meet Lucid’s range claims, I’m not expecting any significant increase in range with the Pure vs the i4. I’d be delighted to be proven wrong, but only my ownership of the Pure will confirm one way or the other.

Someone shared a chart here that showed that for the most part EVs only get about 70-85% of their rated EPA range.

Anyway, I'm sure the same "keep your speed below 70 on the highway" tip works on all EVs.

It's so difficult to make fair comparisons with these cars being sensitive to a large number of factors.

And that's part of why I bought the Air. Even with less than perfect efficiency, the gigantic battery ensures the car has tons and tons of range.

 

[xponents]

Someone shared a chart here that showed that for the most part EVs only get about 70-85% of their rated EPA range.

Anyway, I'm sure the same "keep your speed below 70 on the highway" tip works on all EVs.

It's so difficult to make fair comparisons with these cars being sensitive to a large number of factors.

And that's part of why I bought the Air. Even with less than perfect efficiency, the gigantic battery ensures the car has tons and tons of range.

Im pretty sure that the ones with 5 cycle epa test has more range than reported, and a 2 cycle( im not sure if its 2 cycles but its less than 5) typically gets less than epa figure.

 

[Lucken]

Im pretty sure that the ones with 5 cycle epa test has more range than reported, and a 2 cycle( im not sure if its 2 cycles but its less than 5) typically gets less than epa figure.

Exactly. That’s why many German cars do better than EPA and many U.S. brands do worse. I even think some of the Korean brands meet or exceed EPA, if not to the extent of some German brands.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Thank you for the information about the BMW i4 in the Kia EV6. Those are both vehicles that do not compete in the same space as the Lucid Air, so I did not really consider them as options to this car. This does not mean they are not excellent vehicles, they just did not fit my needs and desires. The vehicles I did consider as options were the EQS, the eTron/Taycan, and the Model S Plaid. I tested of each of these and concluded that the Lucid Air is head and shoulders better than any of them FOR MY NEEDS which involves frequent round trips to Los Angeles (320 miles) to visit an ill and housebound family member. None of the cars tested except the Testa can make this trip without charging, and I am not a fan of Tesla. The BMW and Kia can't make that trip either. I have owned a non-Tesla electric vehicle since 2018 and, as such, am well aware of the challenges faced by drivers using the public charging infrastructure. The desire to make that round-trip without charging factored heavily into my decision and effectively eliminated any other EV available at this time.

Perfect. A very good analysis. The key point is "FOR MY NEEDS". Too many folks think that their needs are the same for everyone else. You have identified your needs and which car best fits those needs. Bravo!

 

[Bobby]

Exactly. That’s why many German cars do better than EPA and many U.S. brands do worse. I even think some of the Korean brands meet or exceed EPA, if not to the extent of some German brands.

Informed consumers like those on this forum will ignore EPA estimates and instead solicit real world efficiencies. There are plenty of YouTube videos on each of the vehicles mentioned. Some will say that the public needs to be better informed. I have no argument with that, and I think the EPA testing needs to be updated and standardized across all vehicles. That said, I really don’t care because I did my own research before spending my hard earned money.

 

[DBV]

You’re not going to like this answer lol, but most people nowadays view videos on their phones, which are generally held in portrait mode. That’s why everyone records it that way.

Ha - I never record on my phone via portrait mode. In my opinion, every video should be in landscape mode, as that is how films are shot too. Looks much better on your phone and if I want to watch it on my Oled TV looks so much better too or even on my computer monitor. Don’t understand why anyone would use portrait mode, when all you have to do is turn your phone to landscape and then it is filmed the way it is meant to me and looks so much better!

 

[Bobby]

Ha - I never record on my phone via portrait mode. In my opinion, every video should be in landscape mode, as that is how films are shot too. Looks much better on your phone and if I want to watch it on my Oled TV looks so much better too or even on my computer monitor. Don’t understand why anyone would use portrait mode, when all you have to do is turn your phone to landscape and then it is filmed the way it is meant to me and looks so much better!

Please link some of your videos.