Lucid Gravity Release candidate

[hmp10]

More talk about this NACS and Ford just emailed their customers to tell them the adapter rollout is being pushed back again which means more pushback for everyone else....

Has there been any further word on the internal debates at Mercedes and elsewhere about whether still to go with the switchover to NACS on the heels of Tesla's decimation of their Supercharger team?

 

[hmp10]

As many of us pointed out back when so many were demanding Lucid switch to NACS, this is not going to be the panacea you all thought it would be.

I was one of those who thought early on that Lucid should get on board with NACS. At the time I had already had so many issues with Electrify America and other CCS providers that using our Lucid for long road trips was becoming an iffier proposition. And these days, while EA reliability has gotten slightly better, their charging stations often have lines of cars waiting to charge, due to a combination of growing numbers of EVs and some of the ports at an EA location often being out of service. Consequently, I thought that Lucid should strive to break the brand's link with the atrocious EA brand.

While I have become more and more disillusioned with Tesla over our nine years of Tesla ownership, the one thing that held up was the ubiquity and reliability of the Supercharger network . . . that was until Musk pulled the stunt of massacring the Supercharger team in a fit of Elonian pique.

At this point, the whole question of how to manage charging a Lucid on road trips just causes me to throw my hands up in the air.

 

[hmp10]

More talk about this NACS and Ford just emailed their customers to tell them the adapter rollout is being pushed back again which means more pushback for everyone else....

Another reason why Lucid should be wary of dealing with Tesla. The CCS-to-NACS adapters that Ford, GM, Rivian, et al., were promising their customers are manufactured by Tesla in its Buffalo, NY plant. That plant was hit by massive layoffs during the recent restructuring in which the Supercharger team was massacred and has fallen behind in shipping adapters:

https://insideevs.com/news/728585/ford-nacs-adapter-rollout-delayed-again/

Given the personal enmity between Musk and Rawlinson, one can expect even more of these hiccoughs in Lucid owners' use of the Supercharger network.

 

[joec]

Another reason why Lucid should be wary of dealing with Tesla. The CCS-to-NACS adapters that Ford, GM, Rivian, et al., were promising their customers are manufactured by Tesla in its Buffalo, NY plant. That plant was hit by massive layoffs during the recent restructuring in which the Supercharger team was massacred and has fallen behind in shipping adapters:

https://insideevs.com/news/728585/ford-nacs-adapter-rollout-delayed-again/

Given the personal enmity between Musk and Rawlinson, one can expect even more of these hiccoughs in Lucid owners' use of the Supercharger network.

Given NACS is now technically a standard, is it possible for others to manufacture these adapters? Or are there licensing fees involved?

I would hope someone would step in and provide this service to manufacturers if Tesla continues to set this as a super low priority.

 

[hmp10]

Given NACS is now technically a standard, is it possible for others to manufacture these adapters? Or are there licensing fees involved?

I would hope someone would step in and provide this service to manufacturers if Tesla continues to set this as a super low priority.

It seems at least two other companies do make the adapters:

https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/a60788759/tested-best-nacs-to-ccs-adapters/

 

[Pragmatic]

Technically a standard, in reality a monopoly since everyone wants either charging station or the vehicle OEM approval of the adaptor. I don't believe there is a UL or other insurance type approval process.

Don't really see the need with the large number of stations available.

 

[Adnillien]

Technically a standard, in reality a monopoly since everyone wants either charging station or the vehicle OEM approval of the adaptor. I don't believe there is a UL or other insurance type approval process.

Don't really see the need with the large number of stations available.

UL is developing standards for adapters but the standards are not yet available.

 

[HC_79]

Not worried at all about the hardware or how this will drive. It’s the software. Really hope they have a polished launch here on that front.

Well it couldn't be any worse than the 1.0 days. I assume it will be better but given it's an overhaul on the existing UX that it will probably come with its own unique set of bugs that will take some revisions for Lucid to weed out. The benefits of OTA's though

 

[momo3605]

More talk about this NACS and Ford just emailed their customers to tell them the adapter rollout is being pushed back again which means more pushback for everyone else....

Rivian's NACS adapter rollout has been chugging along! I just got mine, it's awesome! Supercharger stations in my area generally have 30+ stalls, majority being empty, so i can just roll in park in the back somewhere and relax without any concerns of broken or derated stalls.

Really hope the Gravity has better support for 400V Supercharger stations. Other than charging though, my fingers are crossed for captains chairs as an option

 

[HC_79]

As many of us pointed out back when so many were demanding Lucid switch to NACS, this is not going to be the panacea you all thought it would be. Getting into bed with Elon is a great way to go home with regrets. But the pressure and press were too great, forcing Lucid's hand, in my opinion. I wish they had held out. And I'm glad now that they did hold out for Air. It's going to be years before the dust settles on this one. And at the end of the day, we all may be charging at somewhere other than Tesla, anyway.

Held out? They didn't have a choice. The moment Ford and GM caved in it was game over for everyone else. EA single handedly destroyed CCS in the US and practically forced everyone to do a deal with the devil. The government did nothing to help the cause either by giving Tesla NEVI funding due to Tesla abusing a loophole in the requirement terminology. Whilst Tesla is securing NEVI funding on V3's they have no incentive to rush getting the V4's actually operating at V4's.

Many are to blame for the situation we're in today and unfortunately it's still going to be a bumpy ride for some years to come.

 

[hmp10]

EA single handedly destroyed CCS in the US and practically forced everyone to do a deal with the devil.

So true.

We're leaving day after tomorrow for a week long road trip in the Air. Unfortunately, it turns out we'll be traveling the same route as a storm system that will probably mean almost constant rain. The prospect of pulling up to EA chargers and standing in the rain while I go from charger to charger to find one that works or that doesn't terminate the charging session after a couple of minutes has been weighing on me all week.

It's an infuriating blight on the enjoyment of what is otherwise the finest touring vehicle on the road. We could take our Tesla and avoid this, but then there's a penalty to pay in higher noise, a rougher ride, less comfortable seating, and shorter range.

 

[HC_79]

The prospect of pulling up to EA chargers and standing in the rain while I go from charger to charger to find one that works or that doesn't terminate the charging session after a couple of minutes has been weighing on me all week.

Spot on. It's not that EA will leave you stranded because the chargers mostly work. Its the

Am I going to get a session time out
Is the charger power limited
Do I need to move the car from one charger to another
Do I need to wait in line because chargers that say they're online simply don't work

The anxiety it creates is just unwarranted.

 

[hydbob]

maybe I'm just lucky or it's because I live in CA but I've never taken my car anywhere and had anxiety except the very first trip I took. Never had an issue anywhere that didn't get me a charge.

 

[hmp10]

maybe I'm just lucky or it's because I live in CA but I've never taken my car anywhere and had anxiety except the very first trip I took. Never had an issue anywhere that didn't get me a charge.

Probably because you live in California. It's clear from a couple of years of posting from many people here that EA has far more problems on the eastern seaboard than the west coast. What's never been clear is why.

 

[Bobby]

Not worried at all about the hardware or how this will drive. It’s the software. Really hope they have a polished launch here on that front.

That makes me sad.

 

[momo3605]

Probably because you live in California. It's clear from a couple of years of posting from many people here that EA has far more problems on the eastern seaboard than the west coast. What's never been clear is why.

EA is a dumpster fire in CA too...at least in Northern California. There are not enough stations to handle all the free charging moochers and out of the usual 4 available stalls, at least 1 or 2 stall is out of order. Always a line to get a charger

 

[koflo]

Probably because you live in California. It's clear from a couple of years of posting from many people here that EA has far more problems on the eastern seaboard than the west coast. What's never been clear is why.

Ehh they all suck, at least from my experience. When we went to Cali, we had some bad luck with chargers. One was down. The two others were 150s and derated down to 80kw.

Here in phx I have only charged publicly twice and the second time I waited for about 2 hours as 2 stations were down and the two that were up were also 150s. Thankfully it charged at the rated rates but a lot of people charge to 80%+ and I was 3rd in line. EA dug their own grave. Hell I called them in both instances and they had no answers. Just disappointing.

 

[maractwin]

Probably because you live in California. It's clear from a couple of years of posting from many people here that EA has far more problems on the eastern seaboard than the west coast. What's never been clear is why.

Just to offer a different viewpoint: I live in Boston, and we have taken the Lucid on many road trips without problem or headaches. The EA stations we visit typically have 3 of 4 positions working, but the working ones almost always just work with the handshake happening automatically. Our most recent trip was to Montreal. Following our usual procedure, we stopped at an EA station when the car was at 35%. Yes, there were several people waiting. So we got back on the highway. At the next EA station 60 miles further we didn't have to wait, and we still had plenty of charge. The range of the car allows us this flexibility.

 

[Pragmatic]

Same here no issues. Also use Chargepoint, EVGo and small independent networks when EA is not around. EA is usually fastest but others are usually 100kW or more. Biggest problem with EA is queuing and idiots charging to 100% or not returning when charge is complete. Chargers (EA or other networks) are close enough here that there is never a reason for that.

 

[borski]

maybe I'm just lucky or it's because I live in CA but I've never taken my car anywhere and had anxiety except the very first trip I took. Never had an issue anywhere that didn't get me a charge.

Same. But I’m also in CA