Dallas to Greenville SC via Daytona

[Bill55]

The charger at the Fairfield inn has stopped working. The staff indicates this is common and that a replacement is in the works.

 

[Bill55]

I have contacted Lucid customer care about the aero inserts becoming more and more loose over time. Car wash this morning 18 of 20 were popped out between 1/16” and 3/16”. The black painted surface of the rims below the inserts is completely destroyed.

 

[MikeTz]

It is such a dumb design. Need a complete rethink of the way the aero Inserts attach. Lucid needs to address this problem. It is the definition of a latent defect.

 

[hellolucid]

which Tesla tap adapter did you use @Bill55 ? i read that it voids the battery warranty (or it's not recommended?).

 

[Bill55]

which Tesla tap adapter did you use @Bill55 ? i read that it voids the battery warranty (or it's not recommended?).

I posted a picture on that post of the adapter. Tesla tap. Bought on Amazon. Voiding the warranty because power is coming through an adapter sounds like BS to me, but I don’t know.

 

[EVCar]

I posted a picture on that post of the adapter. Tesla tap. Bought on Amazon. Voiding the warranty because power is coming through an adapter sounds like BS to me, but I don’t know.

I bought the same thing, too. Maybe different amperage, since my model number is 222860.
I also heard from a shop foreman that his manufacturer doesn't recommend using the adapter, and I'm inclined to disregard his opinion.
But like you, I don't know if we should or should not.
We do have a few electrical engineers on the forum. Perhaps they can make some comments.

 

[Demosthenes]

@Bill55 Thank you so much for the continuation of this excellent write up. Very informative and is helping me plan my own trip!

 

[MikeTz]

I have been charging the DEP using a 80 A TeslaTap mini adapter with a Gen-1 40A Tesla charger for the last six months and have had zero issues. I also used it at several hotel Tesla Destination chargers with no issues. The Part Number of the TeslaTap mini I am using is 211373. Once the handshake protocol between the car and the charger is done and the relay at the Tesla charger is energized the TeslaTap acts as a bridge allowing the 240 volts to pass through, so the likelihood of doing any damage to the car electronics is extremely low, especially one rated at 80 A that is connected to a 40 A charger.

 

[hydbob]

I have been charging the DEP using a 80 A TeslaTap mini adapter with a Gen-1 40A Tesla charger for the last six months and have had zero issues. I also used it at several hotel Tesla Destination chargers with no issues. The Part Number of the TeslaTap mini I am using is 211373. Once the handshake protocol between the car and the charger is done and the relay at the Tesla charger is energized the TeslaTap acts as a bridge allowing the 240 volts to pass through, so the likelihood of doing any damage to the car electronics is extremely low, especially one rated at 80 A that is connected to a 40 A charger.

TeslaTaps are fine, but since they aren't UL approved and not an "official" accessory, everyone just has to say "not recommended" that way if anything happens they don't have to pay for damages, CMA from Lucid!

 

[Bill55]

I decided not to run the Lucid at Daytona. Too many unknowns with how the Air's electronics would behave on the banking.
The charger at the Fairfield in stopped working and staff indicated it was common. Shows the danger of planning on overnight charging at your destination if there is not an alternative.

In this case there were plenty of 14-50 plugs at the speedway and I charged there. Also, EA charging station was not far away. Now driving interstates with the Lucid it's pretty easy. From Daytona up to Savannah I stoped in Brunswick GA. At 31% set limit to 100% and walked to a Jimmy Johns for lunch. Went from 30 to 87% in 44 minutes. Almost as soon as I unplugged it started pouring rain. Brings up that EA stations have no covers and when your at the extremes of a Walmart parking lot it can be 1/4 mile or more to something that is next door. Also, frequently if something is across the street you are crossing a six lane road. Good luck.

The level 2 locations in Savannah on plug share had marginal reviews so I stopped at EA so as to not worry about it. Went from 72 to 97% in 33 minutes.
Handed the valet key over at the hotel at 90%. Of course had to explain how to use valet key. They left it parked out front and when the night shift came on they wanted to move it, but of course could not figure it out and had to call me. Yes, I could have just given them my fob, but the idea of a valet key is to protect your personal information that's stored in the car. This is just one more "feature" that seems like no real world thought was given to how it would work in the "real" world.

90% will get me to Greenville without charging. If I go interstate through Columbia, SC I have 2 EA along the route. I'll probably go the route through Augusta. There is an EA in Augusta if I think I need a boost. I'm not too worried as in Greenville the garage I'll be parking in has multiple level 2 chargers and in previous stays they have never been all full. Also, there is an EA station in Greenville.

From Baton Rouge through today very little drama. The Air has plenty of range and EA stations are frequent.

There was a crew of 2 at one of the EA stations I charged at today, from a company that "checks on EA stations". This was not a service crew. They told me the 350kW chargers are frequently down. Matches my experience.

The EA 150kW will deliver 175kW in my experience and for the short time the car will pull more that 175 it doesn't make much difference if you are at a 150 or a 350.

Certainly going long distance in an EV requires some planning. The Air's range makes it easier than other EVs.

I think the idea of making charging EVs the same as getting gas is trying to make something new, old. Focusing on high power stations so you can charge like getting gas is false premise. You can fill a gas tank in 5 minutes. Multiple 65kW chargers at Starbucks, Cracker Barrel, Wendy's, McDonalds, places you are going to park for 30 minutes and get 30kWh. You eliminate going to a "gas" charging station. Go where you want to go and plug in. There are no stations, only destinations. Not to be confused with Tesla destination stations. For this to work you are going to need level 3 chargers. 200Amps of 480v is 96kW. Power 4 chargers and if all are occupied 24kW if only 1 then 96kW. Shut charging down at 80%.

At a gas station, you are usually under a canopy and can go inside to use the bathroom and buy a drink and by the time you are back at the car it is full. The current model for EA, you are in the middle of a Walmart parking lot with no protection from the weather. It is not that convent to go into Walmart or any surrounding business especially in poor weather. You are going to be there for 30-40 minutes to go from 20-80%. It's different than getting gas.

 

[Pete44]

It is adjustable but defaults to the furthest each time. the adjustment is button on steering wheel, easy, but must be changed each time cruise is turned on. The Lucid currently lacks for customization compared to ICE vehicles.

Mine defaults to last setting in the car. It does not default to furthest. Not sure why our cars are different in that regard.

 

[Bill55]

Mine defaults to last setting in the car. It does not default to furthest. Not sure why our cars are different in that regard.

I have contacted Lucid as the car frequently changes settings on its own or even worse the setting are set one way and the car behaves in the opposite of the way set. I’m not a fan of the lane departure behavior so I have it set to off, but sometimes it is on even though it shows as off. I don’t care for the rear camera view when signaling for a lane change, but about 20% of the time I get in the car it works as if set to on even though in settings it is off. I can turn on them back off to correct, but why? For me the distance for adaptive cruise defaults to furthest every time cruise is turned off then back on. Who knows.

 

[Bill55]

Last leg from Savannah to Greenville. Car lost 2% over night in Savannah. Headed in the general direction of Augusta, then general direction of Greenville. Secondary roads. Lower speeds, but more stops and or slow downs. Got basically the same range.

3.5 miles per 1% of charge continues to be consistent for me.

Updated the software today. Still waiting for Lucid to do a UI update. I am sure these updates help with stability. Lock / unlock has gone from very bad to just bad. Not a single UI improvement of any significance yet.

Over all the car is much nicer to live with on the road. I used the radio and Bluetooth for music and did not use the Nav at all.

I planned my charging using EA, PlugShare, and ChargePoint apps.

Without the range of the Lucid the path I took would have been difficult to impossible and certainly taken more time with another EV.

I will definitely road trip with the Lucid more in the future.

There are trips where I will choose an Ice vehicle instead. Typically you don‘t need to plan fuel stops for an ice vehicle, you can just go.

Also, when I go hiking I drive on unimproved roads that the Lucid or any other Luxury sports sedan can not handle.

 

[Bus Driver]

The dealer knocked the "new" off that battery before it was even delivered into the customer's hands.

Proves that most sales and service staff at a conventional auto dealership don’t know the first thing about anything having to do with EVs. Imagine telling your lot boy to ”charge to 100%” even before the new owner has even had a chance to damage the battery himself.

 

[Demosthenes]

Bravo @Bill55 for such an extensive write up from start to finish. Very helpful!

 

[Bill55]

Washing the car today, I discovered a bulge on the side wall of the driver front tire. One other issue came up during the trip, the frunk would not fully latch on it's own. I had to press down on the passenger side to get it to latch. I have also asked Lucid to look at how the aero covers are coming loose and have destroyed the black painted finish of the rims underneath. This will be third time looking at this issue.

Car is parked at the Thunder Bunny Racing shop waiting for call back from Lucid to schedule service out of Sandy Springs, GA.

3815 miles San Diego to Greenville. A far amount on secondary roads. The Air performed great and got a consistent range of ~3.5 miles per 1% of charge. Please keep in mind that I make no effort to maximize range, Forrest just ran, I just drove.

I drove out of the shop today in the 2013 427 Corvette. Quite a difference. A bit of irony. I changed out the head unit so the 2013 Vette has car play.

The tire noise alone is significantly louder than the Air. It's a manual and a down shift takes time and even with a down shift it is no match for the Air's acceleration. Stops and turns better of course.

Air gets a lot of attention here in Greenville, SC. First time most people have seen one in person. Still lots of people who have never heard of Lucid.

 

[MPawelek]

Are all the bulges reported on the 21” on the outside, inside or either side of the tire?

 

[Bill55]

Are all the bulges reported on the 21” on the outside, inside or either side of the tire?

That is an excellent point. The inside is difficult to inspect. The ones I’m aware of for me where both on the outside. I’m going to put the car on a lift and inspect the insides. Thank you for that insight.

 

[njg-agt]

Are all the bulges reported on the 21” on the outside, inside or either side of the tire?

Just as importantly, are these bulges only showing up on the 21" tires, or have they been seen on the 19"? Also, only on front tires, or also rears?
Note, I believe both the 21&19 are Pirelli P Zero variants...

 

[Bill55]

I have not seen any posts with a 19” tire being effected. For me both were driver front. I had a 2009 Alpina B7 with 245/35 at the front and 285/30 at the rear 21” rims and I lost a couple fronts in similar fashion. Never a rear.