- Joined
- Sep 7, 2024
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 14
- Cars
- Air
I have a Substack where I opine on lots of things, some of which are not suited to this forum (politics, etc.). I wrote recently about my 2025 Lucid Air purchase.
"Some of you may remember a post recently wherein I recounted a bone-headed driving mistake that led to my beloved car’s being totaled. My original plan was to do a one-for-one replacement of the victimized form of transportation, but a discussion with my inamorata led me to “think bigger”, and by that, I originally considered a brand new version of what I’d lost, or an up-engine version of what I lost. Then thoughts of an EV began to creep in…
I’d thought deeply about an EV when I bought the late car, after having rented them on business in San Diego for a few months (Tesla and Polestar). I liked the tech, I liked the performance. But when it came time to pull the trigger, I lost my nerve (unfamiliarity, infrastructure including charging, etc.)
This time though, I went boldly into the night. Mercedes had a couple of EV options, and I drove one that was an utter dream (the EQE), which is the electric version of their E-Class in a decided unattractive pill-shaped form. The next day, I drove the Lucid Air Pure Touring with 500 miles of range and over 600hp. But these figures came at a cost, both financially and aurally (I could hear the second of two motors—the forward one—to a bothering degree). So I then drove the base model with 405 miles of range and something like 420 hp coming out of a rear-mounted electric motor, and I was in love. Serious tech, serious range, serious horsepower, all in an attractive and lux package.
As I pondered earlier, I leased it, both because of my anxiety about the viability of Lucid and because of how fast the tech changes. I then went and screwed up whatever financial sense I’d put into the deal by buying some Lucid stock (NASDAQ: LCID). In for a penny…
This car—like many other EV’s in this country—was built for the “non-Tesla” EV grid (different interfaces). But Tesla has begun fitting some of its superstations with the “Magic Dock” feature which allows (considerably slower than Tesla charging and more expensive for non-Tesla consumers) me to use the Superstation a few miles away, which I’ve done already with acceptable results (the Royal Farms cappuccino was passable).
My home charger is headed my way and a local electrician will install it. Four years ago, I paid to have the service increased to our house (and buried), as I saw EV’s in the future (and we hadn’t had a service bump when we built the pool). All systems seem “go” at this point, and the car is a dream.
One interesting fact, at least to me. You can track and display both miles remaining and battery charge. Battery charge drives me nuts. I have 281 miles available to me right now, but when I check what the charge is, it shows 68%. 68% is a “D” in school, and it always has been. I cannot get that out of my head. Every additional percentage used drives me closer and closer to “F”. 281 miles? Hell, I could get to Charlottesville, I think. Or nearby. I like miles better.
"Some of you may remember a post recently wherein I recounted a bone-headed driving mistake that led to my beloved car’s being totaled. My original plan was to do a one-for-one replacement of the victimized form of transportation, but a discussion with my inamorata led me to “think bigger”, and by that, I originally considered a brand new version of what I’d lost, or an up-engine version of what I lost. Then thoughts of an EV began to creep in…
I’d thought deeply about an EV when I bought the late car, after having rented them on business in San Diego for a few months (Tesla and Polestar). I liked the tech, I liked the performance. But when it came time to pull the trigger, I lost my nerve (unfamiliarity, infrastructure including charging, etc.)
This time though, I went boldly into the night. Mercedes had a couple of EV options, and I drove one that was an utter dream (the EQE), which is the electric version of their E-Class in a decided unattractive pill-shaped form. The next day, I drove the Lucid Air Pure Touring with 500 miles of range and over 600hp. But these figures came at a cost, both financially and aurally (I could hear the second of two motors—the forward one—to a bothering degree). So I then drove the base model with 405 miles of range and something like 420 hp coming out of a rear-mounted electric motor, and I was in love. Serious tech, serious range, serious horsepower, all in an attractive and lux package.
As I pondered earlier, I leased it, both because of my anxiety about the viability of Lucid and because of how fast the tech changes. I then went and screwed up whatever financial sense I’d put into the deal by buying some Lucid stock (NASDAQ: LCID). In for a penny…
This car—like many other EV’s in this country—was built for the “non-Tesla” EV grid (different interfaces). But Tesla has begun fitting some of its superstations with the “Magic Dock” feature which allows (considerably slower than Tesla charging and more expensive for non-Tesla consumers) me to use the Superstation a few miles away, which I’ve done already with acceptable results (the Royal Farms cappuccino was passable).
My home charger is headed my way and a local electrician will install it. Four years ago, I paid to have the service increased to our house (and buried), as I saw EV’s in the future (and we hadn’t had a service bump when we built the pool). All systems seem “go” at this point, and the car is a dream.
One interesting fact, at least to me. You can track and display both miles remaining and battery charge. Battery charge drives me nuts. I have 281 miles available to me right now, but when I check what the charge is, it shows 68%. 68% is a “D” in school, and it always has been. I cannot get that out of my head. Every additional percentage used drives me closer and closer to “F”. 281 miles? Hell, I could get to Charlottesville, I think. Or nearby. I like miles better.
