Chevy Bolt Efficiency Compared to Lucid

[DJL]

A friend took delivery of a Bolt EUV two weeks ago. It really is a very nice car, especially for the price, in terms of performance, comfort, utility, and even range. (And he had trouble getting his hands on one. They're selling like hotcakes, with most sold before they arrive at the dealer.)

While it's true that he hasn't encountered any software problems, you have to recognize that the Bolt attempts to deliver far fewer software features than a Lucid.

Lucid is trying to play in the Tesla arena in terms of software features, and one has to maintain perspective on what that game is like. We've owned Teslas since 2015, and our 2021 Model Plaid is still not free of software malfunctions, especially recurring problems with unlocking and starting the car. Also, Tesla offers fewer parking assist features than our Lucid Air, including front camera displays, distance displays, and a birds-eye view.

There are days I want to tear my hair out with Lucid's software, especially with the new bugs that have accompanied recent updates. But then I get into the Tesla and am reminded just how complicated and potholed the landscape of controlling a many-featured car through software can be.

Thanks for sharing your insights. I have never driven a Tesla so I am ignorant of its features and problems. I can only compare my Lucid to the Chevy Bolt since with my daughter's purchase, I have been able to drive it a bit. I actually find that my daughter's Bolt has more indepth features when I compare it to my Lucid. For example, it does have Apple Play and Android Auto, it has a "Teen" function that automatically activate certain safety systems, It's charging and battery status screeens are so much more indepth, giving you tons of info such as high, low and average estimate of battery status for your arrival at your destination depending on how you are currently driving, and so much more. I find that I am a bit frustrated with the paucity of features and information that Lucids Info/Entertainment software offers. Now, please do not get me wrong, I love my Lucid and it is certainly has given me the best driving experience I have ever had. I only hope that they get their act together and release a 3.0 that upgrades their software as much as the 2.0 did. However, given the history of issues that you have shared regarding Telsa, it sounds like I may have my hopes a bit too high. Sigh!

 

[hmp10]

I actually find that my daughter's Bolt has more indepth features when I compare it to my Lucid. For example, it does have Apple Play and Android Auto, it has a "Teen" function that automatically activate certain safety systems, It's charging and battery status screeens are so much more indepth, giving you tons of info such as high, low and average estimate of battery status for your arrival at your destination depending on how you are currently driving, and so much more.

I agree somewhat. I find the Bolt's range and battery management features very impressive and much better than the Lucid's, especially now that Lucid has made the m/kWh display hard to access. And it's high time that Lucid displayed remaining range based on power usage since last charge rather than on the static (and unrealistic) EPA metric.

On the other hand, our Bolt owner is in our Lucid at least twice a week for dinner outings. He's a software programmer and likes watching the Air's cameras do their thing with blind-spot displays, cross-traffic warnings, distance indicators -- and he gets absolutely carried away with the sophistication of its birds-eye view function which he sometimes asks me to rotate so he can watch it work. He also thinks it's super cool that we can display a close-in satellite view of our direction of travel simultaneously with a zoomed-out view on compass orientation (something at which Lucid bests the Tesla system that first addicted me to driving with satellite views).

I'm hoping that Lucid will soon catch up to the Bolt's battery management displays with OTA updates. But no software updates will bring to the Bolt the features the Lucid has.

 

[DJL]

I totally agree with your son. Those software features in Lucid are just awesome! When we were out visiting our second daughter and her family in Denver, I could not drive the car because she just had to be my chauffeur! But she loved the car for its power and handling not its software. Sigh. It simply is the best driving car I have ever owned and despite its being a software challenged car in my opinion, I love it.

 

[Daniel2022AT]

I think that is called "Eco mode".

Cd is coefficient of drag. It is a measure between 0-1 of how efficient the object is moving through the air. 0 is perfect zero drag, 1 is the worst which would be essentially a flat surface. I think a geometric example of the lowest possible Cd is a sphere. I think Cd is multiplied by surface area to arrive at the energy required.

Years ago, the very best most aerodynamic cars were at 0.4. Now the very best like Lucid Air are breaking through 0.2.