Any Downside to Not Plugging In At Home Every Night?

[stevelitchfieldpark]

Peace of mind for whatever. Same reason people keep toilet paper, water, fix a flats, whatever emergency stuff is needed.

Let's say I run out of juice, I could find a generator to give me 220 but if I don't have a plug and cable then how do I charge up?

I believe it would be easier to find a charging station rather than looking for a generator and I just don't see how running out of juice on daily commutes of about 30 miles when you start off at 80%

 

[Mountain Man]

Also, if you’re not putting too many miles on the vehicle per day, you could always just plug-in to a standard one 20 V outlet in the garage. Typically you get about 3 Miles of range per hour of charge

I’m getting 1-2 miles per hour of charge if I just plug into a normal 110v in my garage.

 

[PhotoEye]

I’m getting 1-2 miles per hour of charge if I just plug into a normal 110v in my garage.

Yep. That ain't no 'trickle'. That's a drip!

 

[MPawelek]

Yep. That ain't no 'trickle'. That's a drip!

Well, If you only drive the Air once a month…….

 

[PhotoEye]

Well, If you only drive the Air once a month…….

OMG, who is only planning to drive their Air once a month??? Garaging it for future resale? Ok, I suppose. :-(

 

[hydbob]

I believe it would be easier to find a charging station rather than looking for a generator and I just don't see how running out of juice on daily commutes of about 30 miles when you start off at 80%

No but have you ever packed for a trip and forgotten something important? It's just one less thing to worry about...

 

[PhotoEye]

No but have you ever packed for a trip and forgotten something important? It's just one less thing to worry about...

Ouch, that's a scary thought. Everyone excited about the trip, all packed up, get in the car --- only 30% on the screen!!!!

No quick run to the gas station before hitting the highway. But, then again, 30% in the DE will go a long ways. Ok, not so scary after all.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Yep, personal preference is always to have a charger in car at all times. Plus the Fed is helping with a 30% EV charger credit so why not!

Unfortunately the EV charger credit expired December 2021. It’s not applicable for tax year 2022 and beyond. That might change with the BBB plan if it happens.

 

[hydbob]

Unfortunately the EV charger credit expired December 2021. It’s not applicable for tax year 2022 and beyond. That might change with the BBB plan if it happens.

Oh, that stinks, glad I got mine last August then

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Oh, that stinks, glad I got mine last August then

Yea. I installed a 2nd charger in preparation knowing that this was going away

 

[WildRide47]

Yea. I installed a 2nd charger in preparation knowing that this was going away

Installed mine on Dec.29 when I found out it was going to expire.

 

[n8236]

The problem is that fast DC charging such as you get at an EA station is more taxing on the battery than the slower charging you'd get on a home 240-volt setup. You'll prolong battery life by home charging except for long road trips. Home charging also means you leave home every morning with the battery topped up to whatever limit you choose (typically 80% for best battery life), so you have plenty of range should an emergency arise.

Also, I'm confused by all this talk about third party chargers. If you don't need the V2H charging that the Lucid Wall Connector provides, all you need for home charging is a NEMA 14-50 240-volt outlet (a typical dryer outlet) of at least 50 amp capacity. The car comes with its own charger that you simply plug into the NEMA outlet.

it's just so easy to plug and unplug in the garage each day than worry about getting to a public charger when it might not be convenient, or that might or may not be working, or that might have a line waiting, or when the weather might be nasty just when you need to charge (as most public chargers are exposed to the elements).

If I am understanding your comment correctly, are you suggesting I can retrofit my home's electrical panel with a NEMA 14-50 (240 volt) outlet and charge the Lucid (Air Pure) without having to purchase a separate ev charger (ie. Chargepoint)? I imagine using just the NEMA forgoes features such as scheduling, charge limits, wifi/app, etc?

 

[Pete44]

If I am understanding your comment correctly, are you suggesting I can retrofit my home's electrical panel with a NEMA 14-50 (240 volt) outlet and charge the Lucid (Air Pure) without having to purchase a separate ev charger (ie. Chargepoint)? I imagine using just the NEMA forgoes features such as scheduling, charge limits, wifi/app, etc?

Not to speak for @hmp10, but yes. Minimum 50 amp capacity for 14-50 plug. That is the setup I have.

 

[hmp10]

If I am understanding your comment correctly, are you suggesting I can retrofit my home's electrical panel with a NEMA 14-50 (240 volt) outlet and charge the Lucid (Air Pure) without having to purchase a separate ev charger (ie. Chargepoint)? I imagine using just the NEMA forgoes features such as scheduling, charge limits, wifi/app, etc?

Charge limits and controlling charging through the app can currently be done through the car's software, meaning you only need the NEMA 14-50 plug for those functions. I don't think charge scheduling is yet set up through the car, but there is no reason it can't be when Lucid gets around to it through an OTA update.

Just remember you need to have a 20% amperage buffer in the circuit: i. e., you need a 50-amp circuit for 40-amp charging and a 100-amp circuit for 80-amp charging. But you'll need this capacity with the wall charger, too. An electrician can check to be sure you have sufficient service at your breaker panel.

 

[n8236]

Charge limits and controlling charging through the app can currently be done through the car's software, meaning you only need the NEMA 14-50 plug for those functions. I don't think charge scheduling is yet set up through the car, but there is no reason it can't be when Lucid gets around to it through an OTA update.

Just remember you need to have a 20% amperage buffer in the circuit: i. e., you need a 50-amp circuit for 40-amp charging and a 100-amp circuit for 80-amp charging. But you'll need this capacity with the wall charger, too. An electrician can check to be sure you have sufficient service at your breaker panel.

Thank you. That’s very informative.

If so much can be done through the car’s app and just a NEMA 14-50, why do so many have the actual charge stations?

 

[Snafu]

I was referring to the plug into the 14-50 not the J1772. People have written here that it is not a good idea to plug and unplug from the 14-50.

I haven't seen anyone explain why frequently unplugging from the NEMA 14-50 outlet is not advised in this thread, and my electrician told me that because of the size of the plug, constantly plugging/unplugging from the outlet could possibly weaken the outlet/connectors. I'm hoping Lucid will sell the charging cable separately so I can just leave a second one "for emergencies" in my car. Currently I have two NEMA-14-50 outlets in my garage - one connected to my main panel which is connected to my solar panels (i.e. "free charging") and the other connected to a sub-panel with a separate EV meter to get off-peak charging rates if I want to keep a larger kWh buffer for my house/garage use. Since I have a whole-house generator with an automatic transfer switch which can run my house for more than a week, I really don't want the hassle of batteries and any maintenance.

 

[hmp10]

If so much can be done through the car’s app and just a NEMA 14-50, why do so many have the actual charge stations?

Not all brands provide owners with a charging cable, so some owners just buy aftermarket cables and wall boxes. (That's what a friend with a VW ID.4 did, as VW had not released its own wall connector when he got his car a year ago.)

Also, the Lucid wall connector is required if you want to use the two-way (vehicle-to-grid, or V2G) charging that Lucid will eventually enable. But if all you want to do is charge your car off your house's power supply, which is all that most EV owners want to do, a NEMA 14-50 plug is fine. It also enables you to charge different brands of EVs without having to buy a wall connector for each brand, as most proprietary wall connectors require hard wiring to the house.

At the time we built our house, we installed two NEMA 14-50 outlets in the garage (one 50-amp circuit and one 100-amp circuit), as we already had a Tesla and knew we'd eventually have other EVs. We've thus been able to charge both our new Tesla and our Lucid Air without any further additions although they use different charging standards, and if we go through with our Rivian R1S reservation, it can use those plugs, too. Also, when my brother visits in his Tesla, he can use whichever plug is free.

 

[n8236]

Not to speak for @hmp10, but yes. Minimum 50 amp capacity for 14-50 plug. That is the setup I have.

I live in a townhome where the electrician can only install a NEMA 14-50 pulling 40amps. Kinda bummed an 80amp couldn’t be installed.

Can I remedy this with solar?

 

[Sandvinsd]

I live in a townhome where the electrician can only install a NEMA 14-50 pulling 40amps. Kinda bummed an 80amp couldn’t be installed.

Can I remedy this with solar?

The Lucid will be fine pulling 32 amps on a 40 amp circuit. Solar won’t give you more amperage, but would lower your electric bill.