Hello, and...goodbye?

[PompousAss]

I've posted over three dozen times on lucidowners.com, but I always expected I'd finally post in the New Members Intro after taking delivery.

I didn't buy the car. Awesome car, awesome deal, but....

The tl;dr is that I really liked the car, and I tried pretty hard to rationalize overlooking the problem, but the AGT I drove so under-performed from a range perspective that I couldn't do it.

So now the long version:

With the assistance of the awesome folks in the Plano studio, I was provided with an AGT to take an extended Plano-Wichita Falls-Lubbock-Abilene-Plano test drive. My intention was to evaluate charging infrastructure in addition to the car itself.

I left Plano at 100% SOC with the first destination the EA facility at I-35 and US 380 in Denton. I arrived at the Walmart parking lot at 89 percent. Had I really been thinking about it I might have been concerned with losing 11% in 34 miles, but for the first little bit I was more concerned with figuring out how everything worked.

Since I was already at 89% the car started charging at 60 kW, which seems reasonable. I disconnected at 96% and 32 kW. No complaints whatsoever here.

The distance between charges in Denton and Wichita Falls was 98.5 miles with an elevation change of right at 250 feet. I arrived with a 60% SOC and a usage rate of 2.8 kW/mile. Not good.

The only public level 3 charger in the city, managed by EV Connect, did not cooperate. Fortunately there was free (!) 20 kW charging nearby. The good news is that I didn't have to turn around and go back to DFW. The bad news is that I sat for two hours to recover again to 96 percent.

The Wichita Falls-Lubbock segment involved an elevation change of about 2300 feet. I arrived home at 19%. My best guess is that if I hadn't stopped in Wichita Falls I would have gone dead about 40 miles from home.

This post is already long, and I have more details (including specific numbers) if anybody cares, but the remaining highlights are that the 60 kW EV Connect charger in Lubbock worked fine, the segment from Lubbock to Sweetwater got me 3.1 kW/mile, the EA charger in Sweetwater worked flawlessly, and the segment from Sweetwater to Lubbock was at 3.4 kW/mile. Had I gotten 3.4 on the outbound trip, I'd own an AGT now.

I drove with the cruise almost the entire way from Denton to Lubbock with it set at 3 or 4 mph over the speed limit. The posted speed was 75 for the majority of the trip. It was a 75-degree day, so there shouldn't have been significant energy expended heating or cooling the cabin. The driving mode was set to smooth. Regen was set to normal, but there was very little braking so that was not a big factor.

One significant concern is that, if you believe the car's trip and SOC info, this test car with ~10K miles only had about 103 kW of capacity, which means it had already lost about 8 percent. Again, I have details on how I derived these numbers if anyone cares.

The test car had 21-inch wheels, which meant about a 10 percent range penalty compared to the 19-inch tires on the car I had reserved, but even with smaller tires I would have not quite made the 315-mile trip from Denton to Lubbock without stopping.

I didn't expect anything close to the EPA range rating, but I certainly expected more than 300 miles.

If you're considering telling me I'd have gotten better range at 65 MPH, drive from Lubbock to Wichita Falls at 65 and then get back to me.

 

[hydbob]

That's unfortunate, but the only other question is, was it windy during your trip? Many people don't account for headwinds but they play a major factor in lower efficiency.

 

[PompousAss]

I didn't mention the wind earlier since I felt like I'd already kind of written a novella, but there was a little headwind between Denton and WF, maybe 10-15 MPH.

The sun went down while I was sipping from the 20 kW straw, at which point the wind died to nearly nothing. I made one pit stop between WF and Lubbock, and what little breeze there was wasn't coming from the west.

Part of the reason the final decision was a no go is that sometimes there *is* a pretty stiff westerly wind in these parts, and there's just no fudge factor left when that happens.

 

[hydbob]

I didn't mention the wind earlier since I felt like I'd already kind of written a novella, but there was a little headwind between Denton and WF, maybe 10-15 MPH.

The sun went down while I was sipping from the 20 kW straw, at which point the wind died to nearly nothing. I made one pit stop between WF and Lubbock, and what little breeze there was wasn't coming from the west.

Part of the reason the final decision was a no go is that sometimes there *is* a pretty stiff westerly wind in these parts, and there's just no fudge factor left when that happens.

Yea that sucks but that's also just way the physics works out. A 10-15mph headwind is essentially you driving 10-15 mph faster. Given your speed was 75, even with 10mph headwind, that's 85 and 3.1mi/kwh is pretty good!

 

[Genghis]

I totally respect the thorough testing and time commitment that led to your decision. If your requirement is that you need consistent long distance range from the car, and you didn't observe that with the test car drive and you believe this to be true for all AGTs, then you're making the right decision for you. Other owners have shown that they can consistently get 4.0+ but every driver drives their cars differently and under different conditions. Best of luck finding the right car for you and hope you love it as much as a lot of us here love our Airs!

 

[Andretex]

Hmm, I get at least 360 miles range on my touring. I got 330 miles range on a long trip driving 80 mph. Lifetime efficiency is 3.9 m/kwh. The touring only has a 92 kwh battery. Here in florida, I do have good EA DC chargers for trips, free chargepoint level 2 in public places and a great home chargepoint home flex. So no issues with charging my car. It does take a little time to plan and learn where to charge.

I hope you considered the “since last charge” stat includes phantom battery loss.

Anyway, glad you had a chance to experience the driving quality of the car. It is not for everyone.

 

[Tâm]

...I didn't expect anything close to the EPA range rating, but I certainly expected more than 300 miles.

I've gotten over actual 300 driving miles per charge with my Lucid Grand Touring with 19" tires.

This one below got 396.6 miles and still has 11% or 60 left:

My energy consumption was 4.2 miles/kWh

Another one with 342 miles. It still has 20% or 104 miles left.

My energy consumption was 4.0 miles/kWh

It was a sweltering summer, even at night. Above 100F on days so A/C was a must.

I got above 300 miles per charge by driving around 70 MPH.

 

[Bus Driver]

I've gotten over actual 300 driving miles per charge with my Lucid Grand Touring with 19" tires.

This one below got 396.6 miles and still has 11% or 60 left:

View attachment 16217

My energy consumption was 4.2 miles/kWh

View attachment 16219


Another one with 342 miles. It still has 20% or 104 miles left.

View attachment 16218


My energy consumption was 4.0 miles/kWh

View attachment 16220

It was a sweltering summer, even at night. Above 100F on days so A/C was a must.

I got above 300 miles per charge by driving around 70 MPH.

I’m really, really impressed! I think my chief takeaway from your stats is that there’s a world of range to be recouped when knocking your speed back from 80 to 85 mph to 70 mph.

 

[Lucken]

My lifetime sits at 4.3mi/kWh. With winter approaching these numbers will obviously decrease as they would with any EV or ICE vehicle for that matter.

The bottom line for the OP is not so much that the Lucid isn’t adequate for his use case, it’s that any EV is not adequate for what he needs. If you can’t get the range you need in a Lucid AGT, then you can’t get it in any other EV.

 

[LVAGT]

Ev isn't for everyone, but I'm glad OP knows it before committing to buy one. I've had Tesla from 2013 to 2023, and even with their supercharger network, I hated driving it for long distances. Just too many variables and wasted time on charging. I personally would only take ICE cars for anything more than 6 hours.

 

[manitou202]

As others have stated, headwinds can make a significant difference. Regardless, Texas is a charging desert. It would be tough to own an EV and regularly travel throughout the state.

You're not going to find another EV with more range. The Lucid Air is simply the best. So unfortunately if this doesn't fit your needs, you are going to need to wait a few year for infrastructure to fill out and improve.

 

[Drendino]

The bottom line for the OP is not so much that the Lucid isn’t adequate for his use case, it’s that any EV is not adequate for what he needs. If you can’t get the range you need in a Lucid AGT, then you can’t get it in any other EV.

This is my takeaway as well. The AGT is the king of range and if it isn’t suitable for the OP’s needs, then there isn’t an EV in the world that will be. Maybe in 5 years there will be one with better range, but my guess is that there will be more development in charging efficiency and infrastructure than larger batteries. Who really needs to travel 400-450 miles without charging on a daily basis?

 

[Knucklehead]

One significant concern is that, if you believe the car's trip and SOC info, this test car with ~10K miles only had about 103 kW of capacity, which means it had already lost about 8 percent. Again, I have details on how I derived these numbers if anyone cares.

I am interested in how you calculated the capacity, but according to what I have read, the AGT has a usable capacity of 106 kWh. Your calculation of 103 kWh is pretty much within the margin of error, IMO. If your calculation is accurate, that would be a SoH of 97%.

106 kWh x 3.1 mi/kWh = 329 miles. If you are driving 80 mph with a 10 mph headwind, that level of efficiency is really good. I know some are reporting higher, but I don't think that is at a steady 80 mph. One member in this forum said he got 2.6-2.8 at 90 mph, which I think is really good as well. 2.8 x 106 = 297 miles. And that is to zero SoC. Nobody should regularly drive their BEV to 0% SoC unless you want to damage the battery and/or get stranded.

One vehicle I think might be able to make a 315 mile trip is the Rivian R1 DM Max Pack. But the jury is still out regarding the size of the Max Pack. If it is 148 kWh as it should be to reach 400-410 miles of EPA range, it should go 355 miles at 80 mph. (This is based on people reporting it gets 2.4 mi/kWh at 80 mph. Of course a headwind will kill that really fast.)

If you throw in rain, snow, and just cold temperatures, I think no current BEV is going to make your trip if you are driving 75-80 mph. Personally I find it discouraging that this is the case, and I hope it changes soon. Maybe the Gravity will be better, but I am starting to doubt it. Same platform and less aerodynamic means less range than the AGT, not more. But maybe they will put a 130 kWh battery in it...

Edit: I meant to mention that the 10% wheel penalty is a big deal, and should not be discounted. If you added in the 10% better efficiency, you may have been able to make your test trip without charging. Especially if there was no headwind.

 

[hmp10]

We have a Dream Edition Performance with 21" wheels. On several long road trips during which we have never used more than 66% of the battery between charges and while driving a sustained 80-85 mph, we have covered between 232 and 240 miles. That would put us around 350 miles using the pack's full capacity (on a car with a 451-mile rated range).

We also have a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid with 21" wheels. Neither the Tesla nor the Lucid get close to their EPA rating on such trips. However, the Lucid goes about 100 miles further on a full charge than does the Tesla (rated at 348 miles of range). Having owned EVs for eight years, I've learned to pay little attention to EPA figures and look instead at how far I can go when driving where and when I like. With that aim in mind, Lucid goes considerably further than any other EV sold today.

It's true that cars that use the 2-cycle EPA testing protocol, such as most German EVs, will get closer to EPA ratings on road trips (with a couple even exceeding them), but their EPA-rated range is so far below the Lucid's that the end result is still that the Lucid will go considerably farther on a charge.

If you want an EV that will meet its EPA-rated range, get a Porsche Taycan. If you want an EV that will get you 100 or more miles further down the road, get a Lucid Air.

 

[xponents]

I've posted over three dozen times on lucidowners.com, but I always expected I'd finally post in the New Members Intro after taking delivery.

I didn't buy the car. Awesome car, awesome deal, but....

The tl;dr is that I really liked the car, and I tried pretty hard to rationalize overlooking the problem, but the AGT I drove so under-performed from a range perspective that I couldn't do it.

So now the long version:

With the assistance of the awesome folks in the Plano studio, I was provided with an AGT to take an extended Plano-Wichita Falls-Lubbock-Abilene-Plano test drive. My intention was to evaluate charging infrastructure in addition to the car itself.

I left Plano at 100% SOC with the first destination the EA facility at I-35 and US 380 in Denton. I arrived at the Walmart parking lot at 89 percent. Had I really been thinking about it I might have been concerned with losing 11% in 34 miles, but for the first little bit I was more concerned with figuring out how everything worked.

Since I was already at 89% the car started charging at 60 kW, which seems reasonable. I disconnected at 96% and 32 kW. No complaints whatsoever here.

The distance between charges in Denton and Wichita Falls was 98.5 miles with an elevation change of right at 250 feet. I arrived with a 60% SOC and a usage rate of 2.8 kW/mile. Not good.

The only public level 3 charger in the city, managed by EV Connect, did not cooperate. Fortunately there was free (!) 20 kW charging nearby. The good news is that I didn't have to turn around and go back to DFW. The bad news is that I sat for two hours to recover again to 96 percent.

The Wichita Falls-Lubbock segment involved an elevation change of about 2300 feet. I arrived home at 19%. My best guess is that if I hadn't stopped in Wichita Falls I would have gone dead about 40 miles from home.

This post is already long, and I have more details (including specific numbers) if anybody cares, but the remaining highlights are that the 60 kW EV Connect charger in Lubbock worked fine, the segment from Lubbock to Sweetwater got me 3.1 kW/mile, the EA charger in Sweetwater worked flawlessly, and the segment from Sweetwater to Lubbock was at 3.4 kW/mile. Had I gotten 3.4 on the outbound trip, I'd own an AGT now.

I drove with the cruise almost the entire way from Denton to Lubbock with it set at 3 or 4 mph over the speed limit. The posted speed was 75 for the majority of the trip. It was a 75-degree day, so there shouldn't have been significant energy expended heating or cooling the cabin. The driving mode was set to smooth. Regen was set to normal, but there was very little braking so that was not a big factor.

One significant concern is that, if you believe the car's trip and SOC info, this test car with ~10K miles only had about 103 kW of capacity, which means it had already lost about 8 percent. Again, I have details on how I derived these numbers if anyone cares.

The test car had 21-inch wheels, which meant about a 10 percent range penalty compared to the 19-inch tires on the car I had reserved, but even with smaller tires I would have not quite made the 315-mile trip from Denton to Lubbock without stopping.

I didn't expect anything close to the EPA range rating, but I certainly expected more than 300 miles.

If you're considering telling me I'd have gotten better range at 65 MPH, drive from Lubbock to Wichita Falls at 65 and then get back to me.

We all totally understand. The key differentiators here are that EVS don’t meet your needs, and that is very understandable. It also seems as if you did your dilligent research based on your thoughts(you said 60 kw is fine at 90 soc, most people would expect 350, etc) and came to YOUR conclusion for your needs.

Hope to see you back in some time when battery tech and charging infrastructure improve!

 

[Rogue]

I am interested in how you calculated the capacity, but according to what I have read, the AGT has a usable capacity of 106 kWh. Your calculation of 103 kWh is pretty much within the margin of error, IMO. If your calculation is accurate, that would be a SoH of 97%.

106 kWh x 3.1 mi/kWh = 329 miles. If you are driving 80 mph with a 10 mph headwind, that level of efficiency is really good. I know some are reporting higher, but I don't think that is at a steady 80 mph. One member in this forum said he got 2.6-2.8 at 90 mph, which I think is really good as well. 2.8 x 106 = 297 miles. And that is to zero SoC. Nobody should regularly drive their BEV to 0% SoC unless you want to damage the battery and/or get stranded.

One vehicle I think might be able to make a 315 mile trip is the Rivian R1 DM Max Pack. But the jury is still out regarding the size of the Max Pack. If it is 148 kWh as it should be to reach 400-410 miles of EPA range, it should go 355 miles at 80 mph. (This is based on people reporting it gets 2.4 mi/kWh at 80 mph. Of course a headwind will kill that really fast.)

If you throw in rain, snow, and just cold temperatures, I think no current BEV is going to make your trip if you are driving 75-80 mph. Personally I find it discouraging that this is the case, and I hope it changes soon. Maybe the Gravity will be better, but I am starting to doubt it. Same platform and less aerodynamic means less range than the AGT, not more. But maybe they will put a 130 kWh battery in it...

Edit: I meant to mention that the 10% wheel penalty is a big deal, and should not be discounted. If you added in the 10% better efficiency, you may have been able to make your test trip without charging. Especially if there was no headwind.

May have been me. 19" wheels at 90 get you the 2.7-2.9 m/kWh, closer to 2.9 than 2.7. I have done this on trips totaling over 4k miles in total across multiple state lines, elevation changes, temperatures, and with/without crossbars. Adjust accordingly for negative effects to the 2.7. Adjust up to 2.9 for favorable conditions.

As others have stated, an EV is likely not a great fit with the charging infrastructure. Ranges will likely not exceed Lucid's mark, but vehicle efficiency, charging availability, and charging speed should become more favorable as technology improves.

Best of luck for your next car choice.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

I've posted over three dozen times on lucidowners.com, but I always expected I'd finally post in the New Members Intro after taking delivery.

I didn't buy the car. Awesome car, awesome deal, but....

The tl;dr is that I really liked the car, and I tried pretty hard to rationalize overlooking the problem, but the AGT I drove so under-performed from a range perspective that I couldn't do it.

So now the long version:

With the assistance of the awesome folks in the Plano studio, I was provided with an AGT to take an extended Plano-Wichita Falls-Lubbock-Abilene-Plano test drive. My intention was to evaluate charging infrastructure in addition to the car itself.

I left Plano at 100% SOC with the first destination the EA facility at I-35 and US 380 in Denton. I arrived at the Walmart parking lot at 89 percent. Had I really been thinking about it I might have been concerned with losing 11% in 34 miles, but for the first little bit I was more concerned with figuring out how everything worked.

Since I was already at 89% the car started charging at 60 kW, which seems reasonable. I disconnected at 96% and 32 kW. No complaints whatsoever here.

The distance between charges in Denton and Wichita Falls was 98.5 miles with an elevation change of right at 250 feet. I arrived with a 60% SOC and a usage rate of 2.8 kW/mile. Not good.

The only public level 3 charger in the city, managed by EV Connect, did not cooperate. Fortunately there was free (!) 20 kW charging nearby. The good news is that I didn't have to turn around and go back to DFW. The bad news is that I sat for two hours to recover again to 96 percent.

The Wichita Falls-Lubbock segment involved an elevation change of about 2300 feet. I arrived home at 19%. My best guess is that if I hadn't stopped in Wichita Falls I would have gone dead about 40 miles from home.

This post is already long, and I have more details (including specific numbers) if anybody cares, but the remaining highlights are that the 60 kW EV Connect charger in Lubbock worked fine, the segment from Lubbock to Sweetwater got me 3.1 kW/mile, the EA charger in Sweetwater worked flawlessly, and the segment from Sweetwater to Lubbock was at 3.4 kW/mile. Had I gotten 3.4 on the outbound trip, I'd own an AGT now.

I drove with the cruise almost the entire way from Denton to Lubbock with it set at 3 or 4 mph over the speed limit. The posted speed was 75 for the majority of the trip. It was a 75-degree day, so there shouldn't have been significant energy expended heating or cooling the cabin. The driving mode was set to smooth. Regen was set to normal, but there was very little braking so that was not a big factor.

One significant concern is that, if you believe the car's trip and SOC info, this test car with ~10K miles only had about 103 kW of capacity, which means it had already lost about 8 percent. Again, I have details on how I derived these numbers if anyone cares.

The test car had 21-inch wheels, which meant about a 10 percent range penalty compared to the 19-inch tires on the car I had reserved, but even with smaller tires I would have not quite made the 315-mile trip from Denton to Lubbock without stopping.

I didn't expect anything close to the EPA range rating, but I certainly expected more than 300 miles.

If you're considering telling me I'd have gotten better range at 65 MPH, drive from Lubbock to Wichita Falls at 65 and then get back to me.

I have an AGT with 26,000 miles. I live in Arizona and have driven it daily through two brutal 110 degree plus Phoenix summers with the A/C blasting. My efficiency over that time averaged because I never reset the trip odometer is 3.9 miles/kW. I have 19” wheels and tend to drive with hiway assist at or a few MPH above the speed limit which gets as high as 75 mph in the outskirts of Phoenix. I think that the 21” wheels result in a bigger hit. Also I keep them at 50 psi and top them off as needed to maintain that.

 

[roKapl99]

Hmm, I get at least 360 miles range on my touring. I got 330 miles range on a long trip driving 80 mph. Lifetime efficiency is 3.9 m/kwh. The touring only has a 92 kwh battery. Here in florida, I do have good EA DC chargers for trips, free chargepoint level 2 in public places and a great home chargepoint home flex. So no issues with charging my car. It does take a little time to plan and learn where to charge.

I hope you considered the “since last charge” stat includes phantom battery loss.

Anyway, glad you had a chance to experience the driving quality of the car. It is not for everyone.

Same with my touring. Living in Marco Island FL I usually never drive more than about 70 miles a day. And that's rare. Most days less than 30. But once in awhile I need to go to Miami Airport, a 240 Mile round trip. Get home with about 120 mile range left. Touring 20" wheels. Most of the drive is on Tamiami Trail which has a speed limit of which varies from 50 to 60. I generally do about 65 on that road. I have been fortunate to never have to charge the car outside of my home. I can see range and the current charging issues with EA and others to be a factor in the decision making for a non-Tesla EV.

 

[thecodingart]

People who get > 3.2 mi/kWh are more so unicorns than not.

With my 21” tires, being in FL and near the highways, my average is easily 3.0mi/kWh.

When I had a loaner AGT with 19” wheels, it bumped my numbers up to averaging around 3.2 - 3.3 mi/kWh.

Speed seems to determine a lot in my experience, and the average speed I drive ranges from 60-80mph on the majority of my trips. 50mph is definitely a sweet spot.

With that said, the total average distance my AGT takes from 100-0% is still 3mi/kwhx109kw = 327 miles which outperforms pretty much ever EV out there at actual range values minus the EQS from my tests. The EQS only outperforms by maybe 20 miles or so as well.. so it’s pretty negligible and likely tied to hp gains in the AGT.

There’s plenty of information here regarding people’s real world range experiences tied with speed and location for reference. If you’re worried about 300 miles of full range, then an EV simply isn’t for you.

 

[Coltonw011]

This was a trip last month to Monterey and back from Santa Rosa. Loaded down with 4 people, 4 sets of clubs, highway driving with massage seats going. Ontop of that, severely underinflated tires (which makes a huge difference as well). This would’ve yielded 481 miles of range in these conditions. My lifetime on 19” now sits at 4.1 with almost 21k miles, I have done 506 miles in a trip with just me before so it can be done. Conditions just need to be favorable , as others have said, if the AGT won’t get it done, no EV will. Good luck!!