Another 1st Road Trip Tale

[Westchester Air]

So have now owned my ‘25 AT for about 6 weeks and took my first road trip this weekend. Being my first EV, it was an interesting experience. Some thoughts and comments:

1. Shocked by the efficiency. I drove from downstate NY to upstate which has a bunch of elevation changes. Net change north was only about 800 feet (higher). For this trip, mostly I stuck to the speed limit, hovering around 65-70. Somehow, I ended up at 4.5 mi/kWh. (19” wheels). Temps fairly ideal, probably averaging 60s. 90% highway driving. (I had averaged about 3.8 in mixed driving before.)
2. I don’t use the fob. Use mobile key and am starting to have the same problems others have reported. Too often I’m standing around my car trying to get in. Even worse, was up in the mountains, so there was no internet at all. Couldn’t even use the app to unlock.
3. Stayed at a nice resort who told me they had chargers. “6 Tesla and 2 non-Tesla chargers”. The whole trip was about 350 miles RT so planned on topping a bit off. When I pulled into the chargers, it turned out all were Tesla. They seem certain that they had non-Tesla chargers. I went back out to examine it and it turned out that they had 2x40 amp boxes that I could plug into with my mobile charger. They really had no clue as to what the charger situation was. Further, after trying twice and flipping their breaker twice, I finally gave up on charging. Disappointing. But, range wasn’t a problem because my efficiency ran so high and I didn’t bother charging at all on the trip. It was great to be able to go well over 300 miles and not have any range anxiety.
4. Got lots of oohs and aahs from upstate Nyers. Very cool.
5. Couldn’t use Lucid Navi on way home because it couldn’t recover internet to search for my home when internet service returned downstate. Will need a reboot.

All in all a great trip. The drive definitely is part of the fun of going away. Below, find a shot in a small town upstate (Phoenicia). Love my Lucid Air!

 

[new owner]

Is that Quantum Gray?

 

[DeaneG]

Nice!

Tip: buy a Tesla to J1772 adapter to be able to use overnight Tesla destination charging stations. I like to buy an 80 amp unit so that it's safe even with older 80-amp Tesla destination chargers.

NACS Charger To J1772 Vehicle | AC | The Stellar Plug

Fast and Free Shipping. Speedy Delivery: Orders will ship within 10 - 15 business days - Once shipped, deliveries take 1 - 2 days as the product is undergoing CSA certification. Key Features : Power : Can charge up to 80A and 20kW. Safety and Security: Our adapter locks in while charging...

a2zevshop.com

Lectron Tesla to J1772 EV Adapter | 250V | 80 Amp

Pre-sale: Ships in April INCREASED CHARGING OPTIONS - Expand your charging options and unlock Tesla or North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers for your J1772 EV. This Tesla to J1772 Adapter supports up to 80A and 250V for quick charging at home or on the go UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY -...

ev-lectron.com

You can manually switch your car's nav to offline mode, and it will use map data you've previously downloaded. Unlike Google and Apple maps, Lucid's HERE map system does not automatically switch modes when internet data fails / becomes available again.

I use the fob rather than mobile key. It's generally been more reliable for me.

 

[Westchester Air]

Is that Quantum Gray?

Zenith red. Very cloudy day.

 

[Westchester Air]

You can manually switch your car's nav to offline mode, and it will use map data you've previously downloaded.

Great tip! That’s done in the settings within Nav? Same area where you can download maps?

 

[new owner]

Funny
They all look sweet
And different depending on the lighting

 

[DeaneG]

Great tip! That’s done in the settings within Nav? Same area where you can download maps?

Yes.

 

[Lester Atlas]

Nice!

Tip: buy a Tesla to J1772 adapter to be able to use overnight Tesla destination charging stations. I like to buy an 80 amp unit so that it's safe even with older 80-amp Tesla destination chargers.

NACS Charger To J1772 Vehicle | AC | The Stellar Plug

Fast and Free Shipping. Speedy Delivery: Orders will ship within 10 - 15 business days - Once shipped, deliveries take 1 - 2 days as the product is undergoing CSA certification. Key Features : Power : Can charge up to 80A and 20kW. Safety and Security: Our adapter locks in while charging...

a2zevshop.com

Lectron Tesla to J1772 EV Adapter | 250V | 80 Amp

Pre-sale: Ships in April INCREASED CHARGING OPTIONS - Expand your charging options and unlock Tesla or North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers for your J1772 EV. This Tesla to J1772 Adapter supports up to 80A and 250V for quick charging at home or on the go UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY -...

ev-lectron.com

You can manually switch your car's nav to offline mode, and it will use map data you've previously downloaded. Unlike Google and Apple maps, Lucid's HERE map system does not automatically switch modes when internet data fails / becomes available again.

I use the fob rather than mobile key. It's generally been more reliable for me.

I was under the impression we could NOT charge at Tesla stations yet. Are these adapters for Tesla home chargers, or will they work anywhere?

 

[DeaneG]

I was under the impression we could NOT charge at Tesla stations yet. Are these adapters for Tesla home chargers, or will they work anywhere?

These are only for level 2 (AC) charging stations like the ones in homes and at some hotels ("destination chargers"). They do not work at (DC fast charger) Tesla Supercharger stations, and will not work even when Superchargers open to the Air. For that, you'd need a NACS to CCS adapter rather than NACS to J1772.

 

[borski]

I was under the impression we could NOT charge at Tesla stations yet. Are these adapters for Tesla home chargers, or will they work anywhere?

Tesla destination chargers or home chargers. Not superchargers.

Some Tesla chargers can still be set to Tesla-only, because people suck, but the TeslaTap pretends to be a Tesla.

 

[L-Dude]

I went back out to examine it and it turned out that they had 2x40 amp boxes that I could plug into with my mobile charger. They really had no clue as to what the charger situation was.

I've had this experience as well. People at the hotel are can be totally clueless about what kind of charging capability they offer. It makes it much harder to plan a trip.

 

[DeaneG]

...Stayed at a nice resort who told me they had chargers. “6 Tesla and 2 non-Tesla chargers”. The whole trip was about 350 miles RT so planned on topping a bit off. When I pulled into the chargers, it turned out all were Tesla. They seem certain that they had non-Tesla chargers. I went back out to examine it and it turned out that they had 2x40 amp boxes that I could plug into with my mobile charger. They really had no clue as to what the charger situation was....

I've found it's best to check Plugshare.com first, then call the hotel.

 

[L-Dude]

I think the point is that hotel employees can't give you usable information about the charging capabilities the hotel may or may not have.

 

[Westchester Air]

I've had this experience as well. People at the hotel are can be totally clueless about what kind of charging capability they offer. It makes it much harder to plan a trip.

Yes! Extremely nice and wanted to help, but simply didn’t know anything about their own charging capabilities.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Is that Quantum Gray?

The store is Quantum Gray.

Thanks to folk who report on their trips. I ran from Philly to Lake Ontario to view the total eclipse of the sun. Was going to cut across central NY below the Finger Lakes to get to Buffalo area, but saw a dearth of EA chargers in that "undiscovered country" that is central NY (nothing there but cows and apples). We ended up following the interstates. There is always an EA charger withing range of a Lucid.

We stopped in upstate PA above Scranton

and found a hotel with a level 2 Tesla charger, but the Tesla mini tap worked well.

We never had a problem with "range anxiety", even after driving all along Lake Ontario looking for clear skies. We stayed at Bent's, a restored turn-of-the century opera house at the end of the Erie canal, in Medina, NY. Finding these gems in small towns across the US = get off the interstates!

excellent food !
We got an enormous suite. The bathroom alone was twice the size of a normal hotel room. About $200 / night.

room with a view

Now that the canal is gone: cows. Lots and lots of cows.

We should have gone to Buffalo. We looked at Plattsburgh, NY (shore of Lake Champlain) but you can't get there from here. ... besides, the return trip down the only highway going in any direction out of Plattsburgh (87) would take forever and I can't imagine the wait at the Plattsburgh EA charger ... Once we committed to Rochester-area there is no fast highway to get East to Plattsburgh. We decided to make the best of it. Here's what we saw:

Total Eclipse of the sun. Sunset Beach, NY April 8, 2024. Lake Ontario, NY. E of Rochester. We saw nothing. Nada. Zilch. Buttkiss. Waited 72 years for this.

One of the best trips. Get in your Lucid and get lost.