About to (probably) buy an Air Pure test drive car

[mushoku]

I am scheduled to test drive the Air Pure in two days with the idea that I will likely purchase that very car - I already have a deposit on it as of yesterday. Fathom blue, 19" wheels, includes DD Pro and SS Pro. I'm coming from a 2001 Camry recently replaced by a 2023 Rav4 Prime XLS (wife's primary) and a 2006 Mini Cooper Sport (manual). The Rav4 Prime was both my wife's and my first new car, and I did purchase the extended warranty after the fact, allowing me to purchase at just barely above cost rather than the hyper-inflated price that dealers love to charge.

I have a litany of questions going into this prospective purchase, and would love to get input from you all:
- Are there any things you recommend looking out for? E.g., if it was manufactured prior to X date then it may have this issue
- Who is at fault if the vehicle collides with someone/something during auto park? Have any of you had experience with this?
- Have any of you had any reason to block an OTA update?
- How accurate is the estimated range remaining, in your experience?
- What kind of mileage do you get per kWh? Our Rav4 Prime gets 2.7 mi/kWh
- Have any of you had any issues with unexpected acceleration or headlight failure? Are these problems still present in the 2023 model/latest software update?
- We already have a Grizzl-E dual charger - what should I know about charging this vehicle?
- Why do some people suggest getting a Tesla tap with the Air? What is a Tesla tap?
- What are your experiences with the app? Pros, cons? Expectation that Lucid will add notable functionality to the app?
- How do you unlock the doors if the fob dies and you don't have cell signal?
- Recommendation for a dash/rear cam?
- Thoughts on extended warranty? I haven't had that conversation with the dealer yet
- We have so many spiders where we live, they get into every crevice of everything. How can we keep these off of our cars? Our car doors and mirrors are covered in new webs every day!

I plan on charging any time the battery gets down around 25%, and to aim to charge up to a max of 80%, unless I'm going for a long trip in which case I'll aim to have it hit 100% right before I leave. Or if I won't drive it for several days, I'll aim to charge to ~50%. I also plan to get a ceramic coating and PPF installed by a detailer.

I'm also saving these three posts for after I purchase:

Just got your Air? Consider buying this stuff

There is obviously a ton of information on this forum. As someone who is getting his GT very soon (I hope), I've been thinking about what items I should consider buying based on others' suggestions throughout the forum. I thought I'd start a thread to put it all together to have it in one place...

lucidowners.com

Just got your Air? Common questions answered!

We should really consolidate stuff into 1 post so I'll be updating this post with info for new owners on common questions we see on these forums. Please add to the information in this post and I will update it accordingly. Also, correct me if I'm wrong! Q: How to reset the car? A: Spoke with...

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I appreciate any input you think will be helpful on this - thank you!

 

[Bobby]

Much info about your questions can be found at www.lucidupdates.com.

 

[Adnillien]

Most of your questions are already answered on this site or the lucidupdates.com site. For a few that may not be:

I have a litany of questions going into this prospective purchase, and would love to get input from you all:
- Are there any things you recommend looking out for? E.g., if it was manufactured prior to X date then it may have this issue
Don't worry about date, just make sure that the OTAs are up to date which should be nor problem for a test drive car

- Who is at fault if the vehicle collides with someone/something during auto park? Have any of you had experience with this?
Its your fault, you have control of the car and the brake to take overs.

- Have any of you had any reason to block an OTA update?
I see no reason to block it. Some people wait but I would not.

- Have any of you had any issues with unexpected acceleration or headlight failure? Are these problems still present in the 2023 model/latest software update?
I have not heard of any unexpected acceleration or headlight issues.

- We already have a Grizzl-E dual charger - what should I know about charging this vehicle?
Nothing to know, just plug it in.

- We have so many spiders where we live, they get into every crevice of everything. How can we keep these off of our cars? Our car doors and mirrors are covered in new webs every day!
The car is very well sealed, better than any other car that I have had.

 

[xponents]

Wait, you can buy test drive cars? Are there discounts?

 

[mushoku]

Wait, you can buy test drive cars? Are there discounts?

I'm told they just announced or will announce today, and that I may be the first because I got mine reserved a day before announcing. Seems like it's an extra $10k off the price in exchange for the car having over a thousand miles on it.

 

[hydbob]

I'm told they just announced or will announce today, and that I may be the first because I got mine reserved a day before announcing. Seems like it's an extra $10k off the price in exchange for the car having over a thousand miles on it.

Damn that's a good deal

 

[Steveinarizona]

- Who is at fault if the vehicle collides with someone/something during auto park? Have any of you had experience with this?
Its your fault, you have control of the car and the brake to take overs.

Correct. Remember that it is level II autonomy and requires the driver to stay in control at all times.

 

[EVCar]

Regarding the need to block OTA update, I would do the update when the car is at home and no plan to drive it for a few hours because one never knows if the install will go smooth, stutter, or fail because of connectivity. My car failed the update once and bricked.
Regarding spiders, I haven't heard of any issues, but I was told by SC a dead lizard was found in the air duct in someone's car. And we don't know how long that car had been parked, whether outdoors or in a garage.

 

[bru8131]

I am scheduled to test drive the Air Pure in two days with the idea that I will likely purchase that very car - I already have a deposit on it as of yesterday. Fathom blue, 19" wheels, includes DD Pro and SS Pro. I'm coming from a 2001 Camry recently replaced by a 2023 Rav4 Prime XLS (wife's primary) and a 2006 Mini Cooper Sport (manual). The Rav4 Prime was both my wife's and my first new car, and I did purchase the extended warranty after the fact, allowing me to purchase at just barely above cost rather than the hyper-inflated price that dealers love to charge.

I have a litany of questions going into this prospective purchase, and would love to get input from you all:
- Are there any things you recommend looking out for? E.g., if it was manufactured prior to X date then it may have this issue
- Who is at fault if the vehicle collides with someone/something during auto park? Have any of you had experience with this?
- Have any of you had any reason to block an OTA update?
- How accurate is the estimated range remaining, in your experience?
- What kind of mileage do you get per kWh? Our Rav4 Prime gets 2.7 mi/kWh
- Have any of you had any issues with unexpected acceleration or headlight failure? Are these problems still present in the 2023 model/latest software update?
- We already have a Grizzl-E dual charger - what should I know about charging this vehicle?
- Why do some people suggest getting a Tesla tap with the Air? What is a Tesla tap?
- What are your experiences with the app? Pros, cons? Expectation that Lucid will add notable functionality to the app?
- How do you unlock the doors if the fob dies and you don't have cell signal?
- Recommendation for a dash/rear cam?
- Thoughts on extended warranty? I haven't had that conversation with the dealer yet
- We have so many spiders where we live, they get into every crevice of everything. How can we keep these off of our cars? Our car doors and mirrors are covered in new webs every day!

I plan on charging any time the battery gets down around 25%, and to aim to charge up to a max of 80%, unless I'm going for a long trip in which case I'll aim to have it hit 100% right before I leave. Or if I won't drive it for several days, I'll aim to charge to ~50%. I also plan to get a ceramic coating and PPF installed by a detailer.

I'm also saving these three posts for after I purchase:

Just got your Air? Consider buying this stuff

There is obviously a ton of information on this forum. As someone who is getting his GT very soon (I hope), I've been thinking about what items I should consider buying based on others' suggestions throughout the forum. I thought I'd start a thread to put it all together to have it in one place...

lucidowners.com

Just got your Air? Common questions answered!

We should really consolidate stuff into 1 post so I'll be updating this post with info for new owners on common questions we see on these forums. Please add to the information in this post and I will update it accordingly. Also, correct me if I'm wrong! Q: How to reset the car? A: Spoke with...

lucidowners.com

Verified Owner Badge

If you would like to become a Verified Owner, please click on "Verify" located in the navigation menu above or in the mobile menu. You will be asked to submit a few items, which will then be reviewed by the staff. Please allow up to 3 days for us to review any new submissions. Once verified...

lucidowners.com

I appreciate any input you think will be helpful on this - thank you!

Thanks for the info. What was the final price you paid with DD Pro & SS Pro?

 

[Tâm]

- How accurate is the estimated range remaining, in your experience?

Generically, not brand specific, I've been driving EV for 11 years with 4 different models. I only use the battery gauge as a guide, not a precise meter. For the past 11 years, I've seen people got stranded while they still have 10 miles on the battery gauge while others could drive beyond 0 miles.

Dead with 10 miles of range

So today my car died with 10 miles of range. Lucid would not offer any assistance as far as a tow. I have 14,800 miles on my car as a side note. I was less then a block from a Electrify America charger and nothing!!!!!! STUCK in the middle of traffic in the middle of an intersection, raining and...

lucidowners.com

- What kind of mileage do you get per kWh? Our Rav4 Prime gets 2.7 mi/kWh

All over the map, depending on whether you are a certified hypermiler or not:

6.4 mi/KWh

Took a vacation to South Lake Tahoe this week. Charged my beautiful car for the drive home and was blessed with 6.4 mi/KWh for 2.5 hours of my drive home. Was able to make the 5+ hour drive home without having to stop and charge. The weather conditions were perfect and 1.5 hours were downhill...

lucidowners.com

- Why do some people suggest getting a Tesla tap with the Air? What is a Tesla tap?

Because some want to use 240VAC charging for any CC1 car that does not have a built-in NACS port.

The NACS is smaller, while CCS1 comes with a bigger J1772 port.

Note that these kinds of adapters do not work with NACS DC Fast Chargers (400VDC and planned 1,000VDC).

The picture below shows a J1772 bigger white plug on the right (same as Lucid's) and it's plugged in with a smaller black NACS plug on the left.

- What are your experiences with the app? Pros, cons? Expectation that Lucid will add notable functionality to the app?

It does the job. Of course I want more features. I expect it will get better with subsequent updates.

- How do you unlock the doors if the fob dies and you don't have cell signal?

You can use the 2 key cards (credit card size) without any cell signal.

Once you pair your cell phone with your car as a phone key, your phone key uses Bluetooth to unlock your door. No cell signal needed after that.

- Recommendation for a dash/rear cam?

It's on the feature wish list for built-in cameras. There's no timeline.

If you can't wait, the one on my wish list that I haven't bought is a tiny $129.99 Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 (no display screen), and you can wirelessly synchronize multiple of them for different angles:

- Thoughts on extended warranty? I haven't had that conversation with the dealer yet

Please do ask because I want one, but it has been unavailable so far.

- We have so many spiders where we live, they get into every crevice of everything. How can we keep these off of our cars? Our car doors and mirrors are covered in new webs every day!

Spiders can be beneficial because they eat other insects, but if you don't want them, you can spray the dry powder:

$14.60 ARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 2lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag

It's harmless for humans to eat it but you should not inhale it (It's just like sterilized dust is fine in the stomach but not in the lungs). This powder is so small and sharp and it punctures insects' armors and causes fluid loss, dehydration and death after a few days.

I plan on charging any time the battery gets down around 25%, and to aim to charge up to a max of 80%, unless I'm going for a long trip in which case I'll aim to have it hit 100% right before I leave. Or if I won't drive it for several days, I'll aim to charge to ~50%.

This is what I learned from social media while driving EVs for 11 years:

.Deeper discharge will wear down the battery faster. Since Lucid recommends the range of 40-80: If I use 10% daily, it's better for me to charge daily when it goes down from 80 to 70% rather than wait for 4 days for it to go down from 80 to 40.

.Some prefer lower SOC but I caution that your battery could be stressed at a lower SOC.

Remember the Watt's Law?

Power=E voltage x I Current

To move your car, the Power requires Voltage and Current. When the Voltage is low, the Current has to take over to compensate.

 

[mushoku]

Thanks for the info. What was the final price you paid with DD Pro & SS Pro?

I'm still waiting to find out. Test drove it, but no word on the price. Supposed to get that later today, but was also supposed to get that last Thursday.

Generically, not brand specific, I've been driving EV for 11 years with 4 different models. I only use the battery gauge as a guide, not a precise meter. For the past 11 years, I've seen people got stranded while they still have 10 miles on the battery gauge while others could drive beyond 0 miles.

Because some want to use 240VAC charging for any CC1 car that does not have a built-in NACS port.
The NACS is smaller, while CCS1 comes with a bigger J1772 port.
Note that these kinds of adapters do not work with NACS DC Fast Chargers (400VDC and planned 1,000VDC).

It's on the feature wish list for built-in cameras. There's no timeline.
If you can't wait, the one on my wish list that I haven't bought is a tiny $129.99 Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2 (no display screen), and you can wirelessly synchronize multiple of them for different angles:

Please do ask because I want one, but it has been unavailable so far.

Spiders can be beneficial because they eat other insects, but if you don't want them, you can spray the dry powder:

This is what I learned from social media while driving EVs for 11 years:
.Deeper discharge will wear down the battery faster. Since Lucid recommends the range of 40-80: If I use 10% daily, it's better for me to charge daily when it goes down from 80 to 70% rather than wait for 4 days for it to go down from 80 to 40.
.Some prefer lower SOC but I caution that your battery could be stressed at a lower SOC.

Remember the Watt's Law?
Power=E voltage x I Current
To move your car, the Power requires Voltage and Current. When the Voltage is low, the Current has to take over to compensate.

@Tâm
Thanks for all of your input, I really appreciate it!
On the battery gauge info, that helps +/- 10 miles for most people sounds really reasonable to me. I was hearing tales of 20-30%. Granted, that's expected if I'm driving 90mph+, but the impression I got was that this was not the case with these reports.
The fact that they have acknowledged and considering (I assume) implementing the ability to use the built-in cameras for a dash/rear cam is actually quite exciting.
Tesla Tap is for options, that makes sense, thanks.
On the extended warranty, I got the same story - it's not currently offered by Lucid.
I had considered using DE to keep spiders away, the problem is that it washes away with a single rain. I'm going to try spraying the driveway with insecticide seasonally to see if that helps. I know, this is ridiculous, but it's a very real problem where we are.
Thank you for the insight about charging. It sounds like my thoughts and yours are fairly close. I also appreciate pointing out how Watt's Law applies as I hadn't thought about it in that way before.

 

[Spin Doctor]

For extended warranty, I'd recommend XCare. Had their warranty on previous Teslas, the product is designed specifically for EVs and the service was pretty good.

 

[xponents]

Any update on pricing?

 

[mushoku]

Any update on pricing?

What was the final price you paid with DD Pro & SS Pro?

It included a discount of $7,398, bringing the pre-tax/fee price to $77,377. This price is around $2,000 more than what I recall the sales person telling me on the phone, but memory is imperfect so take that with a grain of salt.

I ended up not purchasing due to the headrest makes driving the car uncomfortable and there is no acceptable solution. In my opinion, this is a flaw in the design. They could have easily made the headrest manually adjustable, which would have made all the difference for me. I'm not willing to spend this much on a car that I have to alter to address an issue that makes it uncomfortable to drive given that I don't have any special comfort needs - I've only ever had this issue with a couple of other cars, and their headrests were adjustable such that I could find a way to address it. I'm just very disappointed.