Lease Discounts for inventory or Demo cars possible?

[hydbob]

I met a guy with a new Lucid (it was either an Air Touring or a Pure) at the Novato CA EA charging station. He got his car a few months ago. It is a lease. He said it came with 3 years of EA free charging, no DD or other fancy options.

He loves his Lucid. He said he reboots it every Monday morning and had not experienced any significant SW issues. He owned multiple Teslas.

He rifled off a bunch of numbers regarding his lease. Bottom line, with the 3-year free EA charging, he said his net cost is $299/mo. He is laughing his way to the bank!

How....EA charging can't be worth that much...

 

[BS8899]

How....EA charging can't be worth that much...

I don't know....he seems to imply he drives a lot of miles. He was comparing it to a gas cost of an ICE car. Though I thought there is a cap on annual mileage on a lease. He talked fast and I didn't remember all the numbers he threw at me. My key takeaway was "it costs him $299/mo, what there not to like?!"

 

[momo3605]

I don't know....he seems to imply he drives a lot of miles. He was comparing it to a gas cost of an ICE car. Though I thought there is a cap on annual mileage on a lease. He talked fast and I didn't remember all the numbers he threw at me. My key takeaway was "it costs him $299/mo, what there not to like?!"

Yea…leases have mileage caps. I think the max is 15k per year. Assume best case lifetime average of 3.5 miles/kw, that’s 4285kw per year and worst case electricity cost that pge has that is 36 cents/kw, that’s $1500/year if he never charged at home. Or like $120/month savings. Not sure how a $1000/month lease drops to $299 after $100/month saving

 

[BS8899]

Yea…leases have mileage caps. I think the max is 15k per year. Assume best case lifetime average of 3.5 miles/kw, that’s 4285kw per year and worst case electricity cost that pge has that is 36 cents/kw, that’s $1500/year if he never charged at home. Or like $120/month savings. Not sure how a $1000/month lease drops to $299 after $100/month saving

I think we should find this guy and have him negotiate a fleet lease deal for us @$299 net/mo. Honestly, I don't care to know how he gets to $299. We can use the Bill Clinton Rule, "Don't ask, don't tell". It is his problem. I'd be game to get another Lucid @299/mo.

 

[hydbob]

I think we should find this guy and have him negotiate a fleet lease deal for us @$299 net/mo. Honestly, I don't care to know how he gets to $299. We can use the Bill Clinton Rule, "Don't ask, don't tell". It is his problem. I'd be game to get another Lucid @299/mo.

If I could get $299/mo I'd lease an Air right now

 

[BS8899]

I think we should find this guy and have him negotiate a fleet lease deal for us @$299 net/mo. Honestly, I don't care to know how he gets to $299. We can use the Bill Clinton Rule, "Don't ask, don't tell". It is his problem. I'd be game to get another Lucid @299/mo.

On a related note,

I was charging at the EA "Flag Ship" Charging Station in San Francisco on Wednesday. I was there for about an hour. They have 20 stalls and it was full all the time I was there. I walked around and looked at all the cars charging. There were Lucids, BMWs, MBs, KIAs, VWs, Polstars, etc.. 85% of those charging were free! And yes, there was a Fisker there as well! Perhaps there are a lot of "free charging" deals going on to pump-up EV sales?

 

[joec]

On a related note,

I was charging at the EA "Flag Ship" Charging Station in San Francisco on Wednesday. I was there for about an hour. They have 20 stalls and it was full all the time I was there. I walked around and looked at all the cars charging. There were Lucids, BMWs, MBs, KIAs, VWs, Polstars, etc.. 85% of those charging were free! And yes, there was a Fisker there as well! Perhaps there are a lot of "free charging" deals going on to pump-up EV sales?

View attachment 19548

I mean, on the one hand—awesome that there's so much variety and the station is getting that kind of use.

On the other hand, BUILD MORE!

 

[BS8899]

I mean, on the one hand—awesome that there's so much variety and the station is getting that kind of use.

On the other hand, BUILD MORE!

I agree we need more "urban" charging stations like the EA Flagship. This facility have sitting areas, tables for coffee or working, WiFi, vending machines, and restrooms .

If we want EVs to be more accepted, we need to rethink charging infrastructures in the urban area as well as stations along the interstates.

San Francisco City, as an example, has some unique problems RE: EV charging. Many of the houses in the city core are small. Worse yet, they might not have a garage. Even if they have a garage, their electrical supply might be limited (i.e., <100Amp service}. All these factors make at-home charging difficult for the urban EV owners.

Most Lucid owners are "Rich Spoiled Brats" (yes, I am talking about YOU ) with 3 or 4 car garages, 200Amp to 400Amp electrical services, solar and battery backup, etc.. That, is not the norm!

I've met a surprising number of EV Uber drivers at the charging stations in/near the city. It is a struggle for these folks as they have to wait in line for an open charger in addition to slow charging. Needless to say, it eats into their available "Ubering-time", which is their livelihood. These Uber drivers love their EVs. But the (lack-of) an efficient urban EV charging infrastructure make EV-Ubering impractical. However, the problem is not limited to Uber drivers. Across the US, I think less than 60% of house-dwellers have 200Amp + service. There are still many houses with less than 100Amp. And 20+% of the population are apartment dwellers. All these factors make EV ownership a challenge. I think part of the current EV-recession is related to some of these limitations. Aside from just building more EVs and driving the price down, we must also address the charging infrastructure to make it work!

 

[momo3605]

Needless to say, it eats into their available "Ubering-time", which is their livelihood. These Uber drivers love their EVs. But the (lack-of) an efficient urban EV charging infrastructure make EV-Ubering impractical.

I’m not going to lie, I only recently noticed how many Niro EVs and Bolts at the EA charging stations are Uber/lyft drivers. Kind of annoying tbh lol. I feel like hybrids are the better platform for Uber anyway, cost per mile in a Prius is way less than paying peak rates at EA.

 

[BS8899]

I’m not going to lie, I only recently noticed how many Niro EVs and Bolts at the EA charging stations are Uber/lyft drivers. Kind of annoying tbh lol. I feel like hybrids are the better platform for Uber anyway, cost per mile in a Prius is way less than paying peak rates at EA.

EVs, such as Uber/Lyft/Taxis/Rental cars, seem much more successful outside of the US than in the US.
The first time I rode in an EV was about 7-8 years ago, in Amsterdam, a Model S Tesla, a hired car from the airport to the hotel. Two years ago, when I took my kids to Iceland and drove all around the island, it was easier and cheaper to book an EV than an ICE car. (I chickened out and opted for an ICE car). Iceland has to import all its oil/gasoline but it has an abundance of geothermal power generation for electricity. There were quite a few EV chargers along the highway.

Last year (2023), the US sold ~1.4M EVs. Europe sold 3+M EVs. And China+India combined sold over 10M EVs. There are some obvious differences. First, I think most EVs outside of the US are used in (relatively) short-distance urban travel (say, 30km trips). Europeans/Chinese/Indians typically use trains for long distance travel (say 100km or further). As such, they don't have the same kind of "range anxiety" that Americans do. As a result, there isn't much impetus to develop extra long-range EVs (like the Lucid) for the European market. Second, oil/gas is much more expensive in Europe and Asia. Electricity is (comparatively speaking) cheaper as there is more use of nuclear and fossil fuel electric generation plants. Third, the governments enable large urban charging facilities (e.g., China) thus enabling EV taxis/Uber-equivalents.

Now, I am no expert on international EV charging infrastructures. I am just reflecting on my own travel experience and what I read online. Feel free to correct me. I won't get offended.

So, my feeling is, that if the US wants to be serious about EVs, it needs to do more than just provide tax incentives on EV purchases. It also needs an infrastructural framework to enable EV ownership and usage. You might have noted from my other postings, I do a fair amount of long-distance driving 400-800 miles). EVs do take longer than ICE/PHEVs to make the journey. But I am OK with that. My usage model aside, in the end, the EV charging infrastructure in the US will be dictated by the "economic-center-of-gravity" of EVs, not by the extreme vehicles and extreme needs.

 

[donfenn]

I met a guy with a new Lucid (it was either an Air Touring or a Pure) at the Novato CA EA charging station. He got his car a few months ago. It is a lease. He said it came with 3 years of EA free charging, no DD or other fancy options.

He loves his Lucid. He said he reboots it every Monday morning and had not experienced any significant SW issues. He owned multiple Teslas.

He rifled off a bunch of numbers regarding his lease. Bottom line, with the 3-year free EA charging, he said his net cost is $299/mo. He is laughing his way to the bank!

Don't know how he got to those $ numbers, but good for him if he can find EA stations near him which are easily accessible and operational. The three year free charging was for early reservation holders with deposits... I am one of them, but have not had much luck with EA charging as reliable resource, so I charge at home most of the time.

 

[FA14]

If I could get $299/mo I'd lease an Air right now

I just got the lease deal for $350 a month with zero down. Will pay only $2500 (VA taxes and DMV fees) at delivery plus the already paid $500 order deposit during reservation . Picking up the car on April 10 next week.

 

[BS8899]

I just got the lease deal for $350 a month with zero down. Will pay only $2500 (VA taxes and DMV fees) at delivery plus the already paid $500 order deposit during reservation . Picking up the car on April 10 next week.

Amazing!

 

[FA14]

Amazing!

Absolutely unbelievable to lease a Lucid for a price of a Toyota Corolla! This deal is even cheaper than the lease of Tesla Model 3,Y almost half the price of those lease. This same deal could have been locked for just $310 a month for a base lucid pure that was showing available in Boston from April 2-4, but the DC studio had just one brand new inventory car in the entire DMV region that I was able to reserve- which had 20 inch upgraded wheels ($1750) so the lease cost went up by $40 which I don’t mind since the white color looks amazing with those wheels.

 

[momo3605]

Absolutely unbelievable to lease a Lucid for a price of a Toyota Corolla! This deal is even cheaper than the lease of Tesla Model 3,Y almost half the price of those lease. This same deal could have been locked for just $310 a month for a base lucid pure that was showing available in Boston from April 2-4, but the DC studio had just one brand new inventory car in the entire DMV region that I was able to reserve- which had 20 inch upgraded wheels ($1750) so the lease cost went up by $40 which I don’t mind since the white color looks amazing with those wheels.

Can you share more details on what rebates you got to achieve that payment?

 

[MJAir23TheGoat]

Resale for those who purchased will be taking a major plunge for current owners. Will create some animosity ( not for me not my first rodeo with EV depreciation) . Some will be shocked when they try and sell. You can see prices dropping on used AIr’s across the board. Will be right up there with Porsche Taycan depreciation #’s

 

[FA14]

Can you share more details on what rebates you got to achieve that payment?

$12500 Air Credit, $7500 EV instant rebate, $2900 Surreal Sound Credit, $5000 On Site Bonus. They basically reduced the price of the vehicle with all these so I ended up paying VA sales tax on the reduced amount which saved additional $600-700 as well.

 

[Reactor]

Did any owners that just purchased a 2023 lucid air pure still get the 1 yr charging included? I assume it was grandfathered in since it is a token installed in the car when it is built regardless of the promotion being discontinued in December 2023.

 

[j4gates]

That is an insane lease payment @FA14. Great job snagging that deal!

 

[FA14]

That is an insane lease payment @FA14. Great job snagging that deal!

Thank you! I couldn’t believe it, until I signed the final lease contract. The 2024 Air Pure base RWD with regular 19 inch wheels and no SSP are still available for $477 online….so just a $100 more a month for anyone in the market for one. Mine is 2023 AWD with 20 inch wheels and SSP.