After experiencing driving in the cold, wind and heavy rain of right here in Southern California, the Land of Eternally Perfect Weather, I’m now developing some appreciation for what other Lucid owners are griping about, especially those who live in parts of the country that are decidedly less mild in climate during winter.
On my typical 282 roundtrip weekly commute to work, I have noted consuming anywhere from 38% to 44% of my battery at a rate of 3.1 to 3.3 miles per kWh.
Driving one way to work the other evening, I discovered that my Lucid doesn’t like the cold and wet AT ALL. My efficiency took a real tumble. I consumed 52% of my battery to drive 141 miles! At best I managed 2.1 miles per kWh. A screenshot below shows what I managed most of the time. It was showering, somewhat windy, roads and freeways were wet, and the outside air temperature was in the region of 45 degrees Farenheit. I was also very liberal with my use of the heater, seat heater, and steering wheel heat.
For the first time since acquiring my Lucid I had to do the one thing that I had most wanted to avoid after my purchase - charge up at a DC fast charger, just to be able to get home.
Also, there was a period during my drive when the Auto function of my wipers decided to take a lunch break - this was when the rain was at its heaviest and most constant of course - and my wipers simply stopped sweeping. I could only get to sweep again when I put the wipers in manual mode. By the following morning, with the rain mostly gone, the Auto Wiper function returned, and the problem has not recurred.
It was an eye opening experience, driving in all that cold weather, and the wind and rain. I will better anticipate the effect of all that, the next time inclement weather hits SoCal.
