5.0 miles/kWh: Say Hello to the World's Most Efficient Car

[hydbob]

Lucid also states that all 2025 Air variants have gotten a control hardware upgrade resulting in triple the processing power and twice the memory compared to the previous generation. The result promises “significantly enhanced and faster in-car infotainment experience.”

I find it interesting that Lucid only mentions these upgrades to the control hardware as promising infotainment-related improvements. Wouldn't such an upgrade potentially enable other system improvements? Specifically, it makes me wonder if DreamDrive Pro enhancements that would be possible with upgraded control hardware would not be possible with the prior/current generation control hardware. That then leads me to wonder if Lucid can/would be able to upgrade the control hardware of existing Air models in order to fulfill the paid-for-pricey promise of DreamDrive Pro. If that can be done, and if that is what it takes to 'fill the order', then I think they certainly should.

I think DDPro is probably still using the older NVidia system so there was not an upgrade there.

 

[fadooly]

Lets cross fingers existing owners can upgrade their hardware

 

[Rogue]

Less batteries means less voltage and therefore slower charging speeds. Not sure if this counterbalanced with the efficiency for the same range in the same time. This is outside my expertise. Believe the Touring and Pure AWD have a 92kwh battery, so this makes the increase in efficiency even more impressive when the trims had the same range give or take with the Pure RWD.

88kwh -> 84kwh. 4.5% reduction.
419 -> 420 miles. Negligible.
4.74 -> 5.0 miles per kWh. 5.5% increase.

 

[koflo]

I had to contact service for unrelated work but once they call me back, I am going to ask if they know anything about a retrofit. I think I will need my HV battery replaced so if they are already tearing up the car then I would love for a processing boost as well. I'll report back my findings but my bet is that it may be too early to ask.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Less batteries means less voltage and therefore slower charging speeds. Not sure if this counterbalanced with the efficiency for the same range in the same time. This is outside my expertise. Believe the Touring and Pure AWD have a 92kwh battery, so this makes the increase in efficiency even more impressive when the trims had the same range give or take with the Pure RWD.

88kwh -> 84kwh. 4.5% reduction.
419 -> 420 miles. Negligible.
4.74 -> 5.0 miles per kWh. 5.5% increase.

Funny. I didn't see the comparison that way. I think that 4.5 miles/kWh with two (albeit less powerful) motors and more battery weight is almost as impressive as 5.0 miles/kWh with one more powerful motor. However, I doubt that the heat pump efficiency factors into the EPS figure, so all things considered, I imagine that the new Pure's 'real' miles/kWh will be considerably closer to the EPS's miles/kWh.

 

[segbrk]

Less batteries means less voltage and therefore slower charging speeds. Not sure if this counterbalanced with the efficiency for the same range in the same time. This is outside my expertise. Believe the Touring and Pure AWD have a 92kwh battery, so this makes the increase in efficiency even more impressive when the trims had the same range give or take with the Pure RWD.

88kwh -> 84kwh. 4.5% reduction.
419 -> 420 miles. Negligible.
4.74 -> 5.0 miles per kWh. 5.5% increase.

But less batteries also means less batteries and therefore less batteries to charge... Same reason a 20-80 fast charge on all the current Air models takes (I believe) pretty close to the same time.

 

[Rogue]

But less batteries also means less batteries and therefore less batteries to charge... Same reason a 20-80 fast charge on all the current Air models takes (I believe) pretty close to the same time.

12-17 minutes for their 200 mile range target seen here: https://lucidmotors.com/air-pure

 

[koflo]

I had to contact service for unrelated work but once they call me back, I am going to ask if they know anything about a retrofit. I think I will need my HV battery replaced so if they are already tearing up the car then I would love for a processing boost as well. I'll report back my findings but my bet is that it may be too early to ask.

No word of a retrofit. Service center is going to track down an answer.

 

[cgm9999]

5 mi/kWh is mighty impressive. I genuinely love that it's a Lucid Air and not something like a Leaf that has hit this target. It tickles me that the most efficient EV is a luxurious, powerful sedan and not a typical subcompact city car.

It's just so...abnormal. It'd be like if the most most fuel efficient car in 1977 wasn't a Honda Civic CVCC but rather, something like a Lincoln MkV or a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL. Hilarious.

 

[Lucken]

However, I doubt that the heat pump efficiency factors into the EPS figure, so all things considered, I imagine that the new Pure's 'real' miles/kWh will be considerably closer to the EPS's miles/kWh.

Any reason you're saying that? Unless they’ve changed their testing protocol, I’d think the 5.0 estimate would follow the same “Yeah you can do it, but it’s not easy” real world experience.

 

[borski]

I had to contact service for unrelated work but once they call me back, I am going to ask if they know anything about a retrofit.

They don't, and won't, for a while. There's been no official word on anything, and the Pures with the new chips aren't even out yet. It's gonna be some time, I'd bet.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Any reason you're saying that? Unless they’ve changed their testing protocol, I’d think the 5.0 estimate would follow the same “Yeah you can do it, but it’s not easy” real world experience.

I think the EPA consistently tests under 'ideal' conditions. No need for heating or air conditioning. No wind other than that created by the forward motion of the vehicle. No aggressive acceleration or braking, and with speeds at set fairly low.

 

[koflo]

They don't, and won't, for a while. There's been no official word on anything, and the Pures with the new chips aren't even out yet. It's gonna be some time, I'd bet.

Yeah the service guy just came by and I had asked him. He didn’t know 100% but highly doubts it just because of how many other components would need to be altered to be cross compatible. He had some pointed examples between the sapphire and rest of the fleet. Or even some of the 2024 modules vs 2022 ones that even if something went wrong in a 2022 car, they would still need to use the first revision due to code restraints.

 

[AlignTrex]

Trade in your Air if you are wanting or needing the upgrades. Retrofit is unlikely an option with these cars. Not sure if the new hardwares are of any importance if the software is not utilizing it. Don’t think the current Air is even fully utilizing the current hardware. Look at Telsa and when their software will use the new HW5 coming out.

I would pay for better software for our current Air then to pay for better hardware with the same software.

 

[HC_79]

Crossing my fingers that we can retrofit the new processing power. I would pay for it.

Doubt it! Downside of being early adopters.

 

[HC_79]

Don’t think the current Air is even fully utilizing the current hardware

I think the Air hardware is tapped out tbh. Lucid made a bunch of false promises saying the car was “future ready” and what have we gotten? Nothing! Now they’ve upgraded the computers watch the Gravity and new Air get enhancements / improvements and the loyalists will be left in the dust.

 

[Bobby]

I think the Air hardware is tapped out tbh. Lucid made a bunch of false promises saying the car was “future ready” and what have we gotten? Nothing! Now they’ve upgraded the computers watch the Gravity and new Air get enhancements / improvements and the loyalists will be left in the dust.

Oh stop.

 

[hydbob]

I think the Air hardware is tapped out tbh. Lucid made a bunch of false promises saying the car was “future ready” and what have we gotten? Nothing! Now they’ve upgraded the computers watch the Gravity and new Air get enhancements / improvements and the loyalists will be left in the dust.

This is wrong. MB is running the same NVIDIA hardware specs as Lucid and has a Level 3 ADAS system. The software is side is what is holding it back, but Lucid has hinted in interviews that there are updates coming, and yes, I know it's hard to be patient =).

 

[DeaneG]

The best way to get an upgraded car is to trade up. These are completely new vehicles in a rapidly changing market. There will be more improvements coming.

 

[HC_79]

Oh stop.

Why? Lucid has done NOTHING to appease owners expectations about what’s coming down the pipeline for the Air.

UX3.0 announced last November. Nothing mentioned on whether the Air will see some variant of it.

Bunch of promises made about DDPro with “in the near future” comment made about features coming over 2 years ago

Until they decide to be upfront with owners about what’s coming down the pipeline then people will make speculation. Could he right, could be wrong but Lucid does nothing to control the narrative.

For each day that passes with what appears to be an extremely slowed down OTA schedule, I’m over giving them the benefit of the doubt at this point.