Gone for two months . . .

[Buffalo Bob]

Think again about buying an ICE car. They are obsolete. Their value will plummet suddenly. A convertible ... I'd make exception for a convertible. .

The end is closer than you think.

Yeah, but she's the family ICE queen! (Don't tell her I said that.) She loves her 2002 SC430 that we bought new in 2001, so resale isn't much of a consideration... other than the fact that we are older than dirt. The car just turned 100k miles. Can't believe it's going to qualify for AZ historic plates in a couple years. We'll keep one in AZ and one in WA, and swing back and forth in the Lucid.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Toyota makes fantastic cars. We bought the Camry version of the Lexus (ES250) used, drove it 13 years and over 160k miles. All we did was regular maint. So we sold it and bought another one, used, an ES330. Drove it for another decade and left it in Santa Cruse after a cross-country trip. No issues, just regular maintenance. We were going to buy another one but it was when they went with the Predator grill.

big nope.

 

[hmp10]

For the sake of argument, what if the OP does not have access to a power supply?

@Printer says his garage will be cold but doesn't say how cold. If he's in a hard winter clime the car will need to run the battery management system fairly often, whether plugged in or not, and that can be quite a drain on the battery over a 2-month period.

Surely there will be at least a 120V plug in the garage. It should provide enough charge to keep the battery management system functioning.

 

[ColonelBadger]

Does the car actually do anything when plugged in and it’s cold to maintain the battery? I ask because it’s been fairly cold here this week and even plugged in and in my garage, when i got in to my Air yesterday after having not driven it since Thursday, the car said i had a cold battery and energy was limited and showed blue on the charging page. I thought plugging in would prevent this ?

 

[Wolfman]

I left my GT unplugged for three weeks, not plugged in. It dropped from 67% to 62%.

Interesting. Our car loses about several miles of range per day just sitting without being plugged in. I have the battery set to range, not percentage but our daily loss seems more than I expected.

 

[hmp10]

Does the car actually do anything when plugged in and it’s cold to maintain the battery? I ask because it’s been fairly cold here this week and even plugged in and in my garage, when i got in to my Air yesterday after having not driven it since Thursday, the car said i had a cold battery and energy was limited and showed blue on the charging page. I thought plugging in would prevent this ?

I think you should call Lucid Service about this. In Florida the issue is more the battery getting too warm while sitting in the garage, but when I'm in the garage putzing around with something else, I sometimes hear the battery management system of our Air turning on. I see no reason it shouldn't do the same if the battery is getting too cold, especially when the car is plugged in.

However, I did find an old thread on this forum about this issue, and at that point customer service was apparently telling people this cold battery warning was normal even with the car plugged in:

Thread 'Energy limited due to cold battery message'

Dec 24, 2022

I’m getting this message this morning. It was about 12 degrees overnight. Now 29. I’ve been in the car driving around town for about 1 hour.

• MorganB
• Replies: 14
• Forum: Charging

• 

 

[Steveinarizona]

Thanks, all. I may take the plunge, and leave the Lucid in AZ for the summer. (Our parking garage is two levels down, and does not get that hot.) I'm hoping to buy the boss a gently-used LC 500 convertible as a 50th anniversary present, and it would be fun to take it to and around the PNW. (I will be subjecting myself to four months of serious EV withdrawal, but then again... she has put up with me year-round for half a century. Seems like an equitable trade.)

It is amazing how much the temperature drops in greater Phoenix as soon as one enters a parking garage and especially if it is underground. Two levels down your car will be in a perfect external temperature.

One of the nicest things about my golf club is that it has underground parking. I can play golf in the summer and leave the car there for five plus hours and I don't even have to use the app to turn on the AC as the car will still be comfortable when I get back to it.

Until the fast charger network gets much more available, having a nice ICE car is not a bad idea as a way to make intercity trips. I am not a Lexus fan BUT I make an exception for the LC 500...that is a great car and I can't think of anyone right now who is making an EV convertible. Of course, in Seattle you have the reverse problem of owning a convertible: instead of how to deal with it in a Sauna you have to keep it from turning into a bathtub.

Two great vehicles each of which should put a smile on your face and that of she who must be obeyed.

 

[ColonelBadger]

Who else gets the "Energy limited..." message when plugged in !? Normal ?

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Of course, in Seattle you have the reverse problem of owning a convertible: instead of how to deal with it in a Sauna you have to keep it from turning into a bathtub.

Good point! Since we are mainly there from May through September, there's not much rain to deal with. After the first year, we would keep the SC in WA, as we do fly there for short winter visits, and the hard top will handle the moisture much better than the soft top. Also, since we spend the bulk of the year in AZ, we may as well keep the LC here. Of course, all of this is subject to approval. I have no authority.

I just wish twenty year-old SC430s (and eventually LC500s) would shoot up in value like the Porsches do. Instead, their price curve looks more like my Pure's charging curve... on a cold day and not preconditioned!

 

[Knucklehead]

Who else gets the "Energy limited..." message when plugged in !? Normal ?

I can't comment on whether or not it is normal, but it is definitely a wise "feature" for Lucid to do that. A very cold battery can be damaged from use, and limiting the power until it is at a safe temperature will prolong its life. So they say...

 

[hmp10]

I can't comment on whether or not it is normal, but it is definitely a wise "feature" for Lucid to do that. A very cold battery can be damaged from use, and limiting the power until it is at a safe temperature will prolong its life. So they say...

But why wouldn't the BMS be programmed to keep the pack in the optimal range while sitting? It uses the BMS to lower the pack temperature for that purpose.

Lucid usually doesn't do these things with a sound engineering reason. I just am curious what it is in this case.

 

[Knucklehead]

But why wouldn't the BMS be programmed to keep the pack in the optimal range while sitting? It uses the BMS to lower the pack temperature for that purpose.

Lucid usually doesn't do these things with a sound engineering reason. I just am curious what it is in this case.

Keeping the pack warm when not connected to a EVSE will cause vampire drain. It makes sense to precondition the battery just before use, but keeping it warm when it won't be driven is wasteful. IMO.

 

[hmp10]

But why wouldn't the BMS be programmed to keep the pack in the optimal range while sitting? It uses the BMS to lower the pack temperature for that purpose.

Lucid usually doesn't do these things with a sound engineering reason. I just am curious what it is in this case.

Sorry, typo. I meant to say Lucid doesn't do things without a sound engineering reason.

 

[WildRide47]

Yeah, but she's the family ICE queen! (Don't tell her I said that.) She loves her 2002 SC430 that we bought new in 2001, so resale isn't much of a consideration... other than the fact that we are older than dirt. The car just turned 100k miles. Can't believe it's going to qualify for AZ historic plates in a couple years. We'll keep one in AZ and one in WA, and swing back and forth in the Lucid.

I also had bought a Lexus 2002 SC430 back in late 2001. Was a great car. Fabulous sound system(Mark Levinson). Noisy run flat tires. 100% reliable. Loved it, but traded it in for a 911 six years later.

 

[Buffalo Bob]

I also had bought a Lexus 2002 SC430 back in late 2001. Was a great car. Fabulous sound system(Mark Levinson). Noisy run flat tires. 100% reliable. Loved it, but traded it in for a 911 six years later.

My wife loves that car to the point where I suspect she plans to be buried in it.

We got rid of those damn run flats ASAP! Nice Move to the 911. If it were up to me we would either be going there or to an Audi R8, although both of which I suspect would be money pits compared to the SC or LC.

 

[hmp10]

Keeping the pack warm when not connected to a EVSE will cause vampire drain. It makes sense to precondition the battery just before use, but keeping it warm when it won't be driven is wasteful. IMO.

I was looking up something else in the Owners Manual this morning and came across a couple of passages about keeping the battery plugged in. think Lucid might intend for the battery not to get cold during long spells of sitting, as the Manual says "it is necessary" to keep it plugged in in such circumstances.

 

[Perry]

I take delivery tomorrow of my 2025 white GT and can’t wait, but . . . My wife and I have to leave in three weeks for unexpected family business. We will be gone for almost 2 months and wanted to know If anyone has experience with leaving your car for this amount of time. It will be in an enclosed garage but it will be cold in there. I will ask the delivery tech tomorrow but I have a feeling experience might be the best teacher - thoughts anyone?

I have a second home in another state. I have kept my Lucid plugged in for about 4 months in my Florida home. Using the app I was able to check on the car at anytime. Just to be safe I also installed a camera in my garage. I typical kept the car charged at 60 to 70 percent. When I returned after 4 months everything was fine. I did need to balance out the air in the tires which were a few pounds under the PSI required. Bottom line: No issues

 

[WildRide47]

I have a second home in another state. I have kept my Lucid plugged in for about 4 months in my Florida home. Using the app I was able to check on the car at anytime. Just to be safe I also installed a camera in my garage. I typical kept the car charged at 60 to 70 percent. When I returned after 4 months everything was fine. I did need to balance out the air in the tires which were a few pounds under the PSI required. Bottom line: No issues

Last year, I was gone for 5 weeks. Did not plug in either my AGT or my wife's i4 which were in my garage. Set both at 80%. Had no problems when I got back and almost no vampire drain in either car. Will be going to Palm Desert for 6 weeks in January, plan to do the same without plugging in either car. My concern is that we lost power to my house during last winter's storm for several days. Was concerned if I had plugged in my cars, would it have caused a power surge when the electricity was restored possibly damaging my cars, especially since both cars in my garage were cold.(Outside temp was in the upper teens.). I have no idea as I am not an electrician. Cars seem to work just fine when I returned. Am I reducing the life of my battery and if so by how much. Since I only keep my cars for 5-6 years on average, not sure whether this will have much impact on my long term battery life. .

 

[hmp10]

Am I reducing the life of my battery and if so by how much. Since I only keep my cars for 5-6 years on average, not sure whether this will have much impact on my long term battery life. .

The caution in the Owners Manual would give me some worry about not plugging in, but I don't know enough about the matter to know whether Lucid was just being overly cautious.

I really wish they would produce a "Tech Talk" episode specific to how best to handle the battery pack in all kinds of use and storage conditions.

 

[WildRide47]

The caution in the Owners Manual would give me some worry about not plugging in, but I don't know enough about the matter to know whether Lucid was just being overly cautious.

I really wish they would produce a "Tech Talk" episode specific to how best to handle the battery pack in all kinds of use and storage conditions.

As I said. last winter the power was out in my house for several days, both cars were not plugged in and set to 80% and I experienced no problems upon my return after 5 weeks. Still concerned about a power surge if the power goes out, then comes back on while the car is plugged in, so I will do the same as last year and not plug in for 6 weeks. Will let you know how it turns out.