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Looking for advice for first road trip

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Sid432

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Planning a road trip from NJ to Ontario over Thanksgiving weekend in my Lucid Air Touring with the family, and looking for some real-world input from fellow owners.

I’ve put 25,000 completely trouble-free miles on the car so far, but I’ll admit—I’m still a bit reluctant when it comes to taking it on a longer trip, especially across borders and in colder weather.

I mapped out the route in ABRP, and it shows I’d need just two charging stops and would still arrive with around 50% SOC. That sounds a bit optimistic to me given it’s winter, plus we’ll have the added weight of one adult and two kids in the car. Not to mention the usual Thanksgiving traffic.

For those who’ve done long-distance winter trips in a Lucid Air:
  • How comfortable were you with range predictions vs. real-world results?
  • Would you recommend taking the Lucid for this drive?
  • Any tips for winter efficiency or cross-border charging stops?







Appreciate any recommendations or firsthand experiences!
 
I've done a few trips from the Philly area down to Charlotte NC.

I typically exceed the car's estimated range by around 20 miles, however this has been my experience in warmer months where I'm the only one in the car.

The car is a total highway cruiser, I could easily have done twice the distance comfortably. If your car has been reliable then I'd say go for it. The current software rev has been quite stable for me. 70 mph is the sweet spot for efficiency. Exceeding that number will have a non-linear effect on your range.

As for charging stops, see if there are any Ionna or open Rivian stations along your route. Ionna stations have nice ameneties and have been top notch in my experience. The open RAN chargers are usually a ghost town so you'll get top speeds. Their rates are a bit more expensive but all the ones I've been to have been very well maintained.
 
Get all the Canadian charging apps loaded onto your phone before you leave and figure out how the payment systems work. Some require you to pre-load an account while others let you use a CC onsite. In very cold weather I assume I'll get 60% of my warm-weather range. The Lucid is great for long-distance touring. I've done multiple several thousand mile trips, including to Canada, and other than the usual will-the-charger work angst, they were problem-free.
 
Sid432 said:
Planning a road trip from NJ to Ontario over Thanksgiving weekend in my Lucid Air Touring with the family, and looking for some real-world input from fellow owners.

I’ve put 25,000 completely trouble-free miles on the car so far, but I’ll admit—I’m still a bit reluctant when it comes to taking it on a longer trip, especially across borders and in colder weather.

I mapped out the route in ABRP, and it shows I’d need just two charging stops and would still arrive with around 50% SOC. That sounds a bit optimistic to me given it’s winter, plus we’ll have the added weight of one adult and two kids in the car. Not to mention the usual Thanksgiving traffic.

For those who’ve done long-distance winter trips in a Lucid Air:
  • How comfortable were you with range predictions vs. real-world results?
  • Would you recommend taking the Lucid for this drive?
  • Any tips for winter efficiency or cross-border charging stops?







Appreciate any recommendations or firsthand experiences!
Click to expand...
Speed, cold, and wind are the world for your range.

For summer, I make sure my battery has 350 miles for the next charging station 200 miles away (a buffer of 150 battery miles extra). But I drive faster than 70 mph.

I haven't gone for subzero winter yet but I would charge up fully before leaving then note how much extra buffer I would need.
 
ABRP predicted the battery level very well when I took a trip in the summer. The prediction was within few percent of the real battery levels, and I am sure I probably drove faster than the 10% above the speed limit that I entered in ABRP.

I am taking another trip around Christmas and I am planning to trust it more than the first time.
 
I’ve driven across the country LA to DC. I’ve also driven LA to Seattle. The car is *very* good at calculating charging stops and very accurate at estimated miles on arrival.

For the cross country trip, I was using ABRP for the first few stops. To verify the car was calculating correctly. I quickly stopped doing that, trusted the car, and just enjoyed the amazing drive.

Listen to the car. Lucid got that part right in the software.
 
We traveled to NH from MA 150 miles yesterday w/temps of 43 - 48 degrees. we averaged 3.13 mi/kWh. The car showed 318 miles range @ 80% charge & we were @ 24% on arrival. We lost 38.8% of range I suppose due to weather. We also tripped to FL one year ago starting out in 32 degree temps. I agree you should plan on usable range of 60% of what the car tells you. We have a 2023 Air Pure AWD w/19" tires. Start out with 100% charge & precondition your battery before leaving. Also get your cabin climate up to where you want it all while the battery is connected to the charger. Happy travels!
 
TakeDuo said:
I’ve driven across the country LA to DC. I’ve also driven LA to Seattle. The car is *very* good at calculating charging stops and very accurate at estimated miles on arrival.

For the cross country trip, I was using ABRP for the first few stops. To verify the car was calculating correctly. I quickly stopped doing that, trusted the car, and just enjoyed the amazing drive.

Listen to the car. Lucid got that part right in the software.
Click to expand...
I agree with this with one caution. The Lucid navigation does not take into account winds. If the winds are light, the navigation prediction for miles remaining at destination/charge stop are very accurate. If the winds are strong, the Lucid navigation may be off. I heard that Lucid is working on adding winds to the calculation but who knows when that may be released.
 
I have a 23 Touring with 19's and 78k miles and I agree with all the above. I live in WNY and can tell you from recent experience, at 75-77 mph on the NYS thruway in upper 30's temps, mi/kWh is likely to be around/below 3. Plan accordingly. I don't have any experience going into Canada with the car though.

Yesterday, I preconditioned and charged in Syracuse for the last 135 miles to get home. Interestingly, when I left the charger, I was averaging over 3. By the time I got home I was at 2.8. That stretch used 60% of my battery. My driving style didn't change and I used HA. So either it was windier or the battery got colder after charging.
 
I've found displayed efficiency is much lower when using DCFC compared to Level2 charging. I assume losses for cooling are thrown in on the kw-hr used.
 
I've found speed is the biggest variable. Worst case, charge a little extra at each stop if you're nervous. Also check plugshare for reviews on the mapped charging stops, in case there are any issues. Would also recommend having an approved Tesla adaptor for the supercharging network. While slow at only 50kw, you know their charging network just flat out works.

As others mentioned, the Air is a beast in terms of highway cruising. I've done over 3 mi/kwh even at 75+ mph.
 
In my Touring, I got ~4 mi/kwh this summer & last week driving from Ohio to NY in 30 degree weather I got ~3 mi/kwh...so pretty big difference.

Based on my math, I show that you'd need 3 charging stops based on a distance from Trenton to Toronto...about 60 minutes of charging total to arrive with 35%.
 
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Thank you all for your responses.
gavram said:
I show that you'd need 3 charging stops based on a distance from Trenton to Toronto
Click to expand...
Yes, I suspected the same. I’m planning my road trip based on the expectation that I receive 3 mi/kwh. I generally average 3.0-3.3 in winter.
I also feel confident by looking at so many charging options. I hope that I can reliably charge on them. That’s my next concern 😕
 
Great and helpful thread guys. :cool:
 
I did a trip from Philly to Lake Ontario to see the Solar Eclipse in April of 2024.

I was still on free EA charging so I planned a route that took me to EA chargers every 150-200 miles or there about. Even though the range I had was well over 400 mi on a full charge I planned on 300 mi. per stop at upper limit. When I was pretty sure a fast charger was available I only went to 80%, but otherwise went to 90%. ( takes twice as long ).
I thought I could take a "short-cut" across the hinterlands of the state of NY, but there were no fast charges once you left the interstate, and the ones shown on the apps were either "private" ( at dealerships, required memberships, or owned by the town, etc.). Once you go "off the grid" you charge on hay power. One hopes this has gotten better, but don't count on people knowing anything about all-electric cars. They barely understand hybrids.
Horse hay is widely available in all of New England.

Plan your charging stops now. Your motel stops are not reliable charging, and calling them is no help because the clerk has no clue but will happily lie to you to get your business. Again, once off the interstate you are in whale oil land. The locals are nice but technology fraught. I'm being a bit sarcastic because running on low charge and hoping the next charger is in reach is not a fun way to travel. This is not California, where the problem is waiting.

Some of the motels had level 2 chargers...but make sure you have a Tesla Tap adapter. The locals think all EVs are Teslas. As you get off the interstates the chargers are weak and unreliable or broken, or a figment of the imagination, or not where one thinks is a logical place.

Take the time to search for all the chargers on your planned route. Count on some being out of service, broken or full (long wait). Charge when you can.

All that said: The Lucid has huge range if it's not too cold / windy and you are not too far above the speed limits. I really had no problems at all getting to the next fast charges in VT and NY and hinterlands NY with charge to spare. However, the temps were mild, the winds were light and variable, and the land so beautiful I set AC at 5 over and stayed in the right lane and enjoyed the views. The range of the Air on 19"s at steady speed on the interstates is astonishing.

Plan your route ahead. Count on half the range because of cold and wind. It's likely you will have unpredictable lake effect snow. Make sure you have blankets and water and snow scrapers.

Should any of your team be caught or killed the secretary will disavow any of your actions.
Good luck Jim.

( please post here of your adventure )
 
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Be aware that tire pressures can drop as much as 4 psi when it's cold.
This effects range.
Keep them filled when cold ( ~6 hrs not driven ) to 49 psi. if you are on stock 19" A/S Perilli.
 
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