[Edmunds] TESTED: 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Misses EPA Range by Nearly 80 Miles

[Wait4Perfection]

I get about 3.2 mi/kW, mixed highway and city.

TESTED: 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Misses EPA Range by Nearly 80 Miles | Edmunds

We spent our own money on a 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring and now we've tested its real-world range on two separate occasions. Can it go 516 miles on a charge like the EPA says? Not according to our data. Read on for the full story.

www.edmunds.com

 

[idiot900]

I also get about 3.2 mi/kWh (in my Touring), but I got the car early February and make absolutely no effort to be efficient.

 

[eLUCID8]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see specification of the wheel size on the Edmonds test car. Presumably 19 inch? I’ve been getting 3.0 mi/kWh on 19 inch wheels during the winter (20-45 degrees F) but I’ve gotten as much as 4.0 mi/kWh in the spring and fall and 3.6 mi/kWh in summer.

 

[DBV]

Thanks for posting and I like how they highlighted how Lucid and Tesla use the other EPA test compared to other auto manufacturers. EPA needs more pressure like this to have one test and keep the one that is more reflective of what a consumer would get, which is the other test. I understand there are a lot of things that could make you miss epa targets, but the other test just seems to be more reflective of what a consumer would achieve.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

How does EPA get mpg on EVs ?

"Note: Edmunds tests every new electric vehicle on the same real-world driving loop to see just how far it can travel from a full charge down to zero miles remaining."

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see specification of the wheel size on the Edmonds test car. Presumably 19 inch? I’ve been getting 3.0 mi/kWh on 19 inch wheels during the winter (20-45 degrees F) but I’ve gotten as much as 4.0 mi/kWh in the spring and fall and 3.6 mi/kWh in summer.

Photo with article shows 19" wheels.

 

[hmp10]

With differences between European WLTP and U.S. EPA standards and further differences between EPA 2-cycle and 5-cycle testing, range estimation for EVs is a morass of confusion for the consumer and obfuscation opportunities for the manufacturers. Personally, I view EPA ratings as next to useless.

The rubber really only meets the road in real-world testing done by journalistic organizations such as Edmunds, Out of Spec Motoring, State of Charge, etc.

And, just as Edmunds found in this report, the longest range any of these independent testers have ever realized in real-world conditions are with Lucids. In fact, even with the questions raised by this report, the possibly-faulty car Edmunds tested still ranked second out of fifty EVs they've tested, with first place held by another Lucid.

Among the large EV luxury sedans, Edmunds got 505 miles from Lucid's longest-range car (an Air Dream Range) compared to 422 miles from MB's longest-range electric (an EQS 450+) with a single motor and far less power. Both Tesla's longest-range car (a Model 3 Long Range) and its large sedan (a Model S Plaid) realized only 345 miles of range with Edmunds.

In trying to market against Tesla's hyped-up range claims derived from 5-cycle EPA testing, Lucid laid a trap for itself with uninitiated EV buyers who take EPA ratings too literally.

If you want the most range you can get when taking an EV on a long road trip in which you drive it as you would an ICE car (i. e., not bothering with attempts at hyper-miling), get a Lucid.

If you want an EV that will deliver its (much lower) EPA range on that same trip, get a Porsche Taycan. You'll have to charge a lot more often, but at least you'll meet that EPA rating.

 

[Ampere]

FWIW: My Air Touring is now one month old. At about 800 miles in a combination of urban/rural driving, mostly at an average temperature of 45 degrees, I've achieved 3.2 mi/kWh..
I can't wait for spring with somewhat warmer temperatures to extend my range. But I am not greatly upset over 3.2. I'm still learning the finesse of driving my Touring, so I probably can achieve slightly better mileage as I optimize my driving style.

 

[ahmadr]

Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see specification of the wheel size on the Edmonds test car. Presumably 19 inch? I’ve been getting 3.0 mi/kWh on 19 inch wheels during the winter (20-45 degrees F) but I’ve gotten as much as 4.0 mi/kWh in the spring and fall and 3.6 mi/kWh in summer.

In the long term test page, they specifically mention they ordered the 19”

 

[joec]

FWIW: My Air Touring is now one month old. At about 800 miles in a combination of urban/rural driving, mostly at an average temperature of 45 degrees, I've achieved 3.2 mi/kWh..
I can't wait for spring with somewhat warmer temperatures to extend my range. But I am not greatly upset over 3.2. I'm still learning the finesse of driving my Touring, so I probably can achieve slightly better mileage as I optimize my driving style.

With snow tires on, my average has dropped to about 3.0 mi/kWh. And that's with zero attention being paid to efficiency. I'm doing 80-85 for most of that, since the speed limits around here are all 75. And actually, I get closer to 3.2 on highways. It's all the cruising around town that kills my range, really. I do a lot of short errand trips.

And that's more than fine for me. I know it will get better in the summer. And as I've said many times, other than occasional longer trips, I never have to think about charge, anyway. I start the day at 80 and end at whatever. I picked up a friend in Fort Collins the other day, which is an hour in each direction. I was going to check out the EA charger up there, just for the fun of it, but then I learned they don't have an EA charger in Fort Collins. It's down in Loveland, which was out of my way. So I didn't bother. Still got home with more than a hundred miles worth of range. (About 40 percent.)

If I actually took a long distance trip and kept the car to 65, I have no doubt I'd get pretty close to the 425 miles rated range of my Touring.

I agree that the EPA gives people incorrect expectations. But regardless, the Air still goes further than anything else out there, so I find it hard to complain.

 

[DeaneG]

We got 3.4mi/kWh on a recent 1300+ mile round trip, with heavy rain in portions and even a little snow. No attempt at hypermiling. This is about the same energy use per mile as our little 2011 Leaf! Remarkable.

 

[Sandvinsd]

With over 10000 miles and I am averaging 3.5 - 3.6 miles / kWh, all done driving normally. Yes, it is the same or better than our Nissan Leaf which is smaller and lighter. On trips, the number is even better. I will reiterate what @hmp10 said earlier. Ignore the EPA numbers. The Air will go farther than any other EV and is as efficient as the light, small EVs. You can get a car that will match the EPA ratings, but I will be passing by you at the charging stations!

 

[Bunnylebowski]

This Edmunds test is likely incorrect for a very simple reason. If you watch their very first video when they got the car, it was accidentally delivered with 21” wheels so they had to swap them with 19”. However the door sticker in the car is still going to list the 21” wheel cold PSI to inflate to, which is 42 instead of 49. So that right there would explain the surprisingly poor efficiency. For reference I drove from Rhode Island to Brewster NY at 70mph highway assist at 32F on 19” inflated for the correct pressure and climate set at auto to 72F, and my miles/kw was 3.6 so I had nearly as good efficiency as Edmunds in freezing temps. Their test was clearly botched somehow, and it’s lame they published the article anyway without first having Lucid make sure they were doing things correctly. If you read the Edmunds site their journalists are hyper-critical of the car, lots of weird nitpicky stuff that is not your usual thing a reviewer or average driver would care about.

 

[HariK]

I am either the outlier or Pure is bit more efficient. In 2000 miles 50% highway 50% streets, 5 over the limit on streets and 70mpg HA on the highway, I got 3.8 mi / kWh. Temp was around 55 on the average where I drove.

 

[hmp10]

Their test was clearly botched somehow, and it’s lame they published the article anyway without first having Lucid make sure they were doing things correctly.

Yes. One phrase in the Edmunds article immediately jumped out at me:

". . . this is the first time in more than 50 tests that a vehicle has underachieved its estimate by such a margin."

When Edmunds tested a Dream Range version, they got very near its EPA rating (505 vs. 520) -- as near, in fact, as other EVs have gotten to their EPA ratings when those ratings were based on the more-conservative 2-cycle EPA protocols.

This should have triggered every alarm bell at Edmunds that something was amiss either with the car or the testing, and they should have chased that to ground before rushing to publish this test result.

 

[hmp10]

I am either the outlier or Pure is bit more efficient. In 2000 miles 50% highway 50% streets, 5 over the limit on streets and 70mpg HA on the highway, I got 3.8 mi / kWh. Temp was around 55 on the average where I drove.

The Pure should be a bit more efficient than the Grand Touring if for no other reason than it weighs over 200 pounds less due to the smaller battery pack.

 

[Lucken]

I am either the outlier or Pure is bit more efficient. In 2000 miles 50% highway 50% streets, 5 over the limit on streets and 70mpg HA on the highway, I got 3.8 mi / kWh. Temp was around 55 on the average where I drove.

I had mentioned some time ago that I wouldn’t be surprised to see higher efficiency from the Pure. I strongly suspect the RWD Pure will be even better.

 

[HariK]

The Pure should be a bit more efficient than the Grand Touring if for no other reason than it weighs over 200 pounds less due to the smaller battery pack.

Do you notice in GT or touring that much difference if there is 1 person vs 2? 3.2 mi / kWh vs 3.8 I got?

 

[noobzilla]

I get 3.3 to 3.4 on my Pure. I don't care much about hypermiling at all. More on the opposite side actually since I enjoy the fast acceleration. I was getting really good efficiency at 50-50mph. I think I got 4.0

 

[whywar]

MY Air GT, on 21" tires, after 5500 miles is averaging 3.0 miles/Kw.
I drive in Sprint mode as often as possible, when speed limit is 45 or higher, with a mix of city and highway driving. The best I have achieved is 3.2 mile/Kw after a 70 mile highway trip at 80 mph. I carry some extra weight, an EZ spare tire and a DC powered jack/tire change kit, at all times.