Impressions of my first long road trip

[TomMJM36]

I just completed my first long trip, from Boston, MA to Beaufort, SC, just over 1,000 miles each way. I have a 2023 Lucid Air Touring with 20 inch wheels and thought I would share my experience/observations, both positive and negative. Much of this is known info to experienced EV travelers, however the Air is my first EV and this my first long trip in it.

POSTIVES:
1. The Car: It is supremely comfortable, smooth, and quiet. And it performed flawlessly for the trip. A joy to drive.
2. Charger Availability: While I don't want to say Level 3 chargers were plentiful, there were enough. I stopped at several Electrify America Chargers which always worked, recognized my car, and were in well let, clean places (I joke that we had a tour of Walmart parking lot's along Hwy 95). Also, while only a short part of our drive was through CT, I have to give special mention to CT since many of the rest stops had Level 3, non-Tesla chargers by Applegate Electric that were fast and worked great. I stopped at one EVgo which was in a bad spot, with only 1 of 2 chargers working, and it was slow. And another charger I stopped at required me to download a Shell App and set it up - that took almost as long at the charging time itself. BTW, I only had to wait once for a charger to open up and that was the EVgo place with only one working.
3. Lucid Navigation App: I liked that it told me where to stop to charge, and how long to ideally charge. And it was amazing accurate at telling how much range I would have when I arrived. And I loved that it automatically started pre-conditioning the battery; something I typically forget to do. BTW, I also really like the Electrify America App that told me how many chargers were available.

NEGATIVES:
1. Range: I averaged 3.3 miles/KWhr. That was driving at 75 mph or less and minimizing use of the heater. In reality, what that meant was stopping to charge every 160-200 miles depending on charger availability. I found that disappointing for a car that ideally gets 386 miles of range. BTW, driving under 75 to get better range on a road with a speed limit of 65 or 70 meant I was getting passed by everything from Prius's to 18 wheelers.
2. Charging Speed: The car charged very fast up to about 65% and then starting slowing down. It was painfully slow to charge above 80% charge. I know this is common to all EV's, and in fact, from what I saw, the Lucid was the fastest charging car at the charging stations. But being basically limited to charging to 80% significantly impacted how far we could go between charges.
3. SW foibles: When we left Boston, it was cold. I had the heat turned off to maximize range so my wife was wrapped in a blanket. I was noticing disappointing range. I happened to check the back seat heating and all 3 seats were on full seat heater mode!! We have a dog who was in the back seat. And since the dog will trigger the seat belt alarms which will continue forever (vs. stopping after a short period like my Posche), I had the seat belts plugged in. I noticed this problem in the past so I do check, but I didn't think it would be an issue with the front heat off!

Just a few other observations: The roads can be very crowded, and we witnessed many super aggressive drivers. It was scary at times. I didn't see another Lucid the entire trip. I saw only 2 Rivians. A saw a surprising number of EV BMWs at charging stations along with Kias, VWs, Chevy Bolts (plugged into 350 KW chargers, Grrr), and even a new EV Cadillac (charging super slow to 100%).

Given my experience, while I love the car, if I knew back when I bought it what I know now about road trips in an EV, I honestly would have to think long and hard about how many trips a year we plan to go on. Because, IMO, I don't think EV's and the charging infrastructure are even remotely on par with IC cars when it comes to long trips.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Given my experience, while I love the car, if I knew back when I bought it what I know now about road trips in an EV, I honestly would have to think long and hard about how many trips a year we plan to go on. Because, IMO, I don't think EV's and the charging infrastructure are even remotely on par with IC cars when it comes to long trips.

I would add that, at least for me, these kinds of trips tend to be family trips and that makes them stressful to begin with. I have decided that for at least the next couple of years, I will rent an ICE vehicle for any such trips. That means I can just enjoy driving an EV like I stole it and not worry about range. In my mind a reasonable tradeoff for 12% of my time to enjoy the other 99%.

 

[momo3605]

Great Review. I've come to a similar realization. Grand Touring is the model you want for road tripping. The Pure/Touring are mediocre if not below average for roadtripping thanks to the slow charging curve and low efficiency. It's a little unfortunate that it's not very clear how poor those two aspects are in the Pure and Touring.

 

[scal_air]

Thanks for the review …
As the charging infrastructure improves , I think much of your range anxiety/irritation will improve. I have no fear traveling up and down California. Did your range improve after you banned your dog from using the seat heaters ?
As I get older, travel becomes more the journey then just the destination. I kinda do want to stop every three hours or so, so a 20-30 minute top up suits me fine.

Also you could squeak out another 30-40 miles by going to 19 wheels. Just a thought.

 

[Bill55]

Thanks for the review …
As the charging infrastructure improves , I think much of your range anxiety/irritation will improve. I have no fear traveling up and down California. Did your range improve after you banned your dog from using the seat heaters ?
As I get older, travel becomes more the journey then just the destination. I kinda do want to stop every three hours or so, so a 20-30 minute top up suits me fine.

Also you could squeak out another 30-40 miles by going to 19 wheels. Just a thought.

I also stop at the most convenient charging station in a 2-3 hour window. I always set ac/heat to whatever is comfortable and drive a little on the high side of the speed of traffic. Going 80-85mph in comfort.
Charging from 80-90% is only about 10 minutes. If I need the 30 mile + cushion to make it to a back up charging location or for peace of mind 10 minutes is not bad trade. Factoring in the time it takes exiting freeway, getting to charging station, getting a session started, I find the extra 10 minutes to be worth it, when needed.

 

[Leftlane]

Just curious - how much could heated seats affect range? I can’t imagine it’s very much at all.

 

[Lucken]

I would add that, at least for me, these kinds of trips tend to be family trips and that makes them stressful to begin with. I have decided that for at least the next couple of years, I will rent an ICE vehicle for any such trips. That means I can just enjoy driving an EV like I stole it and not worry about range. In my mind a reasonable tradeoff for 12% of my time to enjoy the other 99%.

After working on this math problem for hours, I came to the conclusion your numbers don’t add up.

 

[Bill55]

Just curious - how much could heated seats affect range? I can’t imagine it’s very much at all.

If you are driving 75 mph and getting 3.3 miles per kWh for 200 miles. In 2.66 hours you would use 60,006 Wh for the 200 miles. Running a seat heater is about 40 watts. 2 seat heaters for 2.66 hours is about 213 Wh. Total use goes from 60,006 to 60,219. You have reduced your range by 0.7 miles at 3.3 miles per kWh.

 

[TomMJM36]

Thanks for the math on the seat heaters. So not a real impact to run the seat heaters. Good to know.

 

[par11768]

Been road tripping for 7 years in an EV. Its faster to ride the charge curve and not go above 80%. It may mean an additional stop but each stop will be much faster. Range * 60% is the typical interval between stops. Stop at 20% charge to 80%. If your car averages 300 miles in cold weather, you would stop every 180 miles.

Not sure there is much of a difference between the Pure and GT in terms or trip times. Yes the GT is 900v and the Pure is 700v and the charge curve has a higher peak but almost no one reports peaking at an EA charger and when you do, it only lasts a few minutes. You are also charging a larger battery. With an extra 100 miles of range, you will go about another 60 miles between charges (80% to 20%).

 

[Daniel2022AT]

Great Review. I've come to a similar realization. Grand Touring is the model you want for road tripping. The Pure/Touring are mediocre if not below average for roadtripping thanks to the slow charging curve and low efficiency. It's a little unfortunate that it's not very clear how poor those two aspects are in the Pure and Touring.

I disagree. The Touring with 19 inch wheels has far better efficiency and range than every EV in the market except for the AGT. Most drivers of competitive vehicles need to charge up to 95% which takes forever and clogs up the charger network. I’ve been getting well over 200-220 kW at EA chargers recently, as high as 240 kW. Not going to see that in many EVs. It is quite easy to get 4 mi/kWh with some practice. I find efficiency is more about smooth cruising and minimizing acceleration than it is top speed alone. It takes some technique. I typically charge every 220-250 miles which is due to my need for a break as much as range itself. That is easily done with SOC running between 15% to 80%.

 

[Lucken]

Great Review. I've come to a similar realization. Grand Touring is the model you want for road tripping. The Pure/Touring are mediocre if not below average for roadtripping thanks to the slow charging curve and low efficiency. It's a little unfortunate that it's not very clear how poor those two aspects are in the Pure and Touring.

You lost me at low efficiency. With a lifetime average of 4.1, ‘low efficiency’ is not a term I’d use to describe my Pure AWD. It’s significantly better than my prior EVs. The charging curve I’d agree could be improved and is not the best I’ve experienced.

 

[victoryroad]

Thank you for your report. Glad you made it without event. I got to love Walmart on my 2000 cross country trip a year ago. Until then I had never been to a Walmart. They are nice and the staff is friendly. Their EA stalls were reliable.

 

[momo3605]

You lost me at low efficiency. With a lifetime average of 4.1, ‘low efficiency’ is not a term I’d use to describe my Pure AWD. It’s significantly better than my prior EVs. The charging curve I’d agree could be improved and is not the best I’ve experienced.

My lifetime in my Touring is 2.9. Barely any better than my 7000lbs Rivian. I think 3miles/kw average on a GT is at least somewhat reasonable from a range perspective. But even car and driver was only able to get 270 miles out of their touring in highway driving. So 3 miles/kw seems to be about right for average drivers.

Even OP says he was only able to muster 3.3 with slow freeway driving and turning off the heater.

 

[kort6776]

My lifetime in my Touring is 2.9. Barely any better than my 7000lbs Rivian. I think 3miles/kw average on a GT is at least somewhat reasonable from a range perspective. But even car and driver was only able to get 270 miles out of their touring in highway driving. So 3 miles/kw seems to be about right for average drivers.

Even OP says he was only able to muster 3.3 with slow freeway driving and turning off the heater.

I have very limited experience, but my '23 GT with 19" wheels driving at 70-75 in good weather conditions on flat roads I was doing about 4.2 with a projected range of 400+ miles.
if someone is only getting 270 miles they must be driving quite fast in less than ideal conditions.

 

[Lucken]

My lifetime in my Touring is 2.9. Barely any better than my 7000lbs Rivian. I think 3miles/kw average on a GT is at least somewhat reasonable from a range perspective. But even car and driver was only able to get 270 miles out of their touring in highway driving. So 3 miles/kw seems to be about right for average drivers.

Even OP says he was only able to muster 3.3 with slow freeway driving and turning off the heater.

Everyone drives differently. Some drive like they stole the car, others drive more conservatively. People drive in different environments, some warmer, some cooler. We all have different local/highway mixes in our day to day driving. Although my lifetime #s are good and I’m very happy with them, there are others here that put my numbers to shame. There’s no BS about this, members here have posted pix from their screens.

Rather than being skeptical, if I wasn’t happy about my efficiency, I’d drive more conservatively and be more judicious about how I use the HVAC (I don’t do the latter because my comfort is more important). IOW I’d do what’s actually under my control to make things better. Weather and the environment are not among those things.

Even the EPA advertised efficiency can be achieved, although that’s not easy. The point is it can be done.

 

[segbrk]

My lifetime in my Touring is 2.9. Barely any better than my 7000lbs Rivian. I think 3miles/kw average on a GT is at least somewhat reasonable from a range perspective. But even car and driver was only able to get 270 miles out of their touring in highway driving. So 3 miles/kw seems to be about right for average drivers.

Even OP says he was only able to muster 3.3 with slow freeway driving and turning off the heater.

Lifetime (8 months) in my touring is 3.2, including summer on 21s and freezing winter on 19s. Since switching to 19s for the winter I’m averaging 3.5. Nearly all of that is hard driving on short trips, not highway cruising. I simply don’t understand how your average is so low unless your driving is wildly inefficient (I do believe you with your prior EV experience that you’re not launching from every stoplight or something), or unless something is wrong. You are the exception though, for some reason. Keep in mind that 3.3 from the OP was in the cold, on 20s. That sounds right.

 

[xponents]

After working on this math problem for hours, I came to the conclusion your numbers don’t add up.

My head is spinning with that problem...

Also, I have a question. I know using the heated seats is more efficient than putting the heater on, but are the ventilated seats more efficient than using the AC? I would think not, considering they both use fans, but who knows...

 

[segbrk]

My head is spinning with that problem...

Also, I have a question. I know using the heated seats is more efficient than putting the heater on, but are the ventilated seats more efficient than using the AC? I would think not, considering they both use fans, but who knows...

The compressor is the energy hog with A/C, not the fans. I don't have figures, but ventilated seats should be negligible as well.

 

[Lucken]

My head is spinning with that problem...

Also, I have a question. I know using the heated seats is more efficient than putting the heater on, but are the ventilated seats more efficient than using the AC? I would think not, considering they both use fans, but who knows...

The AC uses the compressor which I’d assume would compromise efficiency more than the seat fans.