Philosophical observation

[Ampere]

I've been a member of this forum for two years. I really enjoy the commentary and conversation. What I've observed over the past two years is that, possibly more than any other discussion of EVs, the Lucid Air resembles the old Indian tale of the blind men and the elephant. Each person walks up to a different part of the elephant and carefully feels what he encounters. The one who finds the tail says it's a rope. The one who encounters the trunk says it's a hose. The one who touches a leg says it's a tree, etc.
Few individuals on this list view their Lucid Air the same way. Some are impressed with the styling. Others rave about the performance. Still others bask in the luxury. Some are beguiled by the technology. Sure, many combine parts of all of these in their appreciation, but each of us focuses on one aspect. Sometimes reading posts here I think I'm reading about five totally different cars.
One thing that sets Lucid owners apart is an investment in a new brand with substantially new, and usually superior, technology, not to mention that until recently most people invested $100K+ in a Lucid. Thus, it's easy to become defensive when you've made such a substantial investment. If I had bought the Ford Mustang EV, which I closely investigated, for $55K, I would not be half as demanding about its quality and performance. (When you buy a Ford you don't expect perfection. <g>)

I chose Lucid for its range and advanced technology. The performance, styling and comfort were secondary considerations. (Whether I accelerate from 0-60 in 3.9 or 6 seconds is irrelevant.)

Now that I've owned my Air Touring for 14 months, my main disappointment is the range. In retrospect, I would have spent more for the long range edition of the Grand Touring. I don't hold this against Lucid, but the EPA and others should get a bit more real about range under actual driving conditions. Thanks to a stream of updates, the technology is living up to expectations. And yes, it is a fine looking car. I've only owned sedans and only will own sedans.
I envy those of you who have a stable of fine cars and can compare your Lucids to BMWs, Mercedes and other luxury vehicles. All I know is that my Air surpasses all the modest vehicles I've driven in my life.

 

[pjdcorp]

I've been a member of this forum for two years. I really enjoy the commentary and conversation. What I've observed over the past two years is that, possibly more than any other discussion of EVs, the Lucid Air resembles the old Indian tale of the blind men and the elephant. Each person walks up to a different part of the elephant and carefully feels what he encounters. The one who finds the tail says it's a rope. The one who encounters the trunk says it's a hose. The one who touches a leg says it's a tree, etc.
Few individuals on this list view their Lucid Air the same way. Some are impressed with the styling. Others rave about the performance. Still others bask in the luxury. Some are beguiled by the technology. Sure, many combine parts of all of these in their appreciation, but each of us focuses on one aspect. Sometimes reading posts here I think I'm reading about five totally different cars.
One thing that sets Lucid owners apart is an investment in a new brand with substantially new, and usually superior, technology, not to mention that until recently most people invested $100K+ in a Lucid. Thus, it's easy to become defensive when you've made such a substantial investment. If I had bought the Ford Mustang EV, which I closely investigated, for $55K, I would not be half as demanding about its quality and performance. (When you buy a Ford you don't expect perfection. <g>)

I chose Lucid for its range and advanced technology. The performance, styling and comfort were secondary considerations. (Whether I accelerate from 0-60 in 3.9 or 6 seconds is irrelevant.)

Now that I've owned my Air Touring for 14 months, my main disappointment is the range. In retrospect, I would have spent more for the long range edition of the Grand Touring. I don't hold this against Lucid, but the EPA and others should get a bit more real about range under actual driving conditions. Thanks to a stream of updates, the technology is living up to expectations. And yes, it is a fine looking car. I've only owned sedans and only will own sedans.
I envy those of you who have a stable of fine cars and can compare your Lucids to BMWs, Mercedes and other luxury vehicles. All I know is that my Air surpasses all the modest vehicles I've driven in my life.

Good observations. I too wish I had a better understanding of real-world mileage capabilities vs EPA range before I bought as I would've paid more attention to the GT rather than the Touring I got. I find the car is a pisser to drive, but wish I had less range anxiety.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Good observations. I too wish I had a better understanding of real-world mileage capabilities vs EPA range before I bought as I would've paid more attention to the GT rather than the Touring I got. I find the car is a pisser to drive, but wish I had less range anxiety.

It is true that the Lucid used the EPA method that generated the best results which is why it is farther away from achieving its EPA goal than some other brands. However, the Lucid range is still considerably better than its competitors. If range is an important consideration to someone, and the Lucid doesn't meet that need, one should probably consider a PHEV and wait a few years before going full EV. There is nothing out there that will do better.

 

[mezdon]

I too am a bit disappointed in the range, but have had some trips where I drove conservatively, (cruise set at 67mph) it was pleasant weather, and only 2 of us in the car. Drove 365 miles with 40 miles left when I got home (started at 420). But this week I discovered the answer to achieving great range. We were in Lake Placid for the eclipse. Left town around 4pm and immediately became part of an apocalyptic style traffic jam. Left town with 328 miles in the battery, and with the combination of the massive downhills leaving town and only averaging about 10 MPH, we ended up at the EA charge station in North Hudson (40 miles in 4 hours) with 290 miles left. So we went 40 miles but only used 38 miles of range. Gotta find the positive where you can

 

[Dsk101867]

I think the range anxiety will lessen substantially when the Tesla supercharger network opens up.

I live in Jersey - when I had my model 3 I would drive to Maine and have zero worries about charging - this year I’m going and will ask my buddy with an ICE to drive - there is no way I’d ever consider a long trip like that with the charging options available now.

 

[Pragmatic]

I think the range anxiety will lessen substantially when the Tesla supercharger network opens up.

I live in Jersey - when I had my model 3 I would drive to Maine and have zero worries about charging - this year I’m going and will ask my buddy with an ICE to drive - there is no way I’d ever consider a long trip like that with the charging options available now.

Except at 50 kw its way too slow to be useful.

 

[Dsk101867]

Is that true that it will charge at only 50kw??? That’s fairly useless

 

[Snafu]

I had to think long and hard about doling out for a GT, but knowing that even the range of a Tesla Model Y could come up short in many parts of New England, 500 mile range - or even in the ballpark - was the primary reason I chose the GT. Driving 5.5 hours each way to a test drive in NJ in the Tesla solidified the quality difference in the cars (yes, I know an MY is not an MS), and the only drawback (aside from price) in the GT was the shallower footwell in the back seat, which I discounted because I'd seldom need to sit back there. I can't say I'm not disappointed the Android Auto is nowhere on the horizon, but that was never even in the top ten things I required in a car. On one trip to Maine, I drove 420 miles roundtrip with just one stop at 16% (387 miles) when heading home - that was 6.5 hours of driving without needing a charge - and no anxiety at all. I probably COULD have made it all the way home, but it would have been nail-biting. [The 300-mile, 10.5 hour trip for the Eclipse was a piece of cake.]

 

[no gas]

Except at 50 kw its way too slow to be useful.

But at least you know you won’t be stranded…

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

@Ampere :

We've had our cars about the same amount of time. I'm approaching 15k miles after 18 months. Had initial "supply-chain" issue with a control module but since that first-week issue the car has been reliable. With each update I got a better experience = it got to be kinda fun to see the gear star when I got in the cabin.

Have spent countless hours sitting in the garage listening to music. How many saw that elephant ?

Done trips from Philly to SE NH, then my sisters took me on a jaunt to Dartmouth (for "lunch" at Ken Burn's restaurant). I should have known that when my sister said seemingly out of the blue " let's go to lunch in your new car." she had a scheme in mind. Instead of a local diner, She got me to experience true New England charger anxiety buy making me drive to Dartmouth then further (something about a restaurant that Ken Bruns owns) ... making it back to Portsmouth, NH chargers with single digit SOC. (and pulling 322kw initially !). I learned it's not good to stray too far from the interstate, I learned having 5 adults in the car, and driving into the Green Mountains (or White...), in the winter, eats into your range. A lot.

But it made me brave enough to plot a course to the Eclipse at Southern Great Lakes, over months. Learning the location of every charger from Cleveland to Plattsburgh. Armed with a Platinum credit card and 19" all-season EV tires, I felt confident we'd not be stranded. And we were not. Not even close. I skipped the free EA chargers all the way to our first stop, a Red Roof inn with free level II charging (both open), but didn't need it as there were three EA chargers in town ... no waiting. Then we were able to skip chargers all the way to Rochester, where we (again, no waiting) topped-off to continue our journey comfortably to our final destination and back to the civilization and free EA charging, all the way home. Not even close to a worry. Because our destination, booked months in advance, was totally overcast with thick clouds (it rained briefly), there was no problem with traffic jams on the way home. I averaged 3.7 mkW on the trip, and that included traveling through the Endless Mountains at interstate speeds. (Air GT / 19" A/S / two adults w/luggage)

We did not, however, see the eclipse. We instead saw something ... unforgettable.

So not worried about range. Yesterday I put the 21" summer wheels back on. Now I'm ready to drive the M5 version of my car.

 

[Electrified]

I think the range anxiety will lessen substantially when the Tesla supercharger network opens up.

I live in Jersey - when I had my model 3 I would drive to Maine and have zero worries about charging - this year I’m going and will ask my buddy with an ICE to drive - there is no way I’d ever consider a long trip like that with the charging options available now.

I wouldn't hesitate to take my AGT from Jersey to Augusta Maine, you're good to go with EA charging all the way to Scarborough, Charge Point has 200KW in Augusta. after that it's thin until Canada

 

[Bobby]

Is that true that it will charge at only 50kw??? That’s fairly useless

I disagree. It really translates to an extra 15 to 20 minutes. Yes, we all would like to have the Tesla stations charge faster. But they are still well in excess of any home charger. Let’s take it as a win for now.

 

[scal_air]

I too am a bit disappointed in the range, but have had some trips where I drove conservatively, (cruise set at 67mph) it was pleasant weather, and only 2 of us in the car. Drove 365 miles with 40 miles left when I got home (started at 420).

Assuming you were able to get another 35 miles from the "40 miles left", that gave you 400 miles .....5% less than the maximal predicted. Are you saying thus is one of the instances where you weren't disappointed?

 

[borski]

Is that true that it will charge at only 50kw??? That’s fairly useless

Until Tesla can successfully build any 800v-1000v stations, which they have not done yet.

 

[terrycs]

Range of any model Air is still class leading. BUT, what most new BEV owners don't consider is the "ideal" capacity of the HV battery for longevity (20%-80% SOC). This means range for daily use is reduced by 40% if you want the battery to last. Not a big deal if you leased, but something to consider for those who buy and hold for the long run.

 

[segbrk]

Range of any model Air is still class leading. BUT, what most new BEV owners don't consider is the "ideal" capacity of the HV battery for longevity (20%-80% SOC). This means range for daily use is reduced by 40% if you want the battery to last. Not a big deal if you leased, but something to consider for those who buy and hold for the long run.

Some people go too far the other way though, thinking that 40% is completely untouchable. The times when it matters, on long trips, just use that top 20% by charging up before you leave and dive into the bottom 20% as much as you’re comfortable with. Don’t tell people the “real” range of an EV is 60% of what it says on the sticker at best without clarifying, I’ve seen the faces of confusion and distaste that gives people.

 

[HariK]

50kW 20min is still 16.5kwh which is 50 to 60 miles in Lucid at highway speed. Besides that is what we get even on a 350kW charger past 80%. So, not too bad. We juts plan a lunch stop and be done with it.

 

[xponents]

I disagree. It really translates to an extra 15 to 20 minutes. Yes, we all would like to have the Tesla stations charge faster. But they are still well in excess of any home charger. Let’s take it as a win for now.

For now, I consider Superchargers to be a backup in case other CCS stations are unavailable/broken and you MUST charge nearby to not get deserted. Given the extremely positive experience I had with a road trip in a vehicle with far less range than the Lucid, I also don't think that backup will be often needed for your cars, let alone mine (at least on the east coast). Obviously more fast charging stations are always better, but I think this situation will suffice for the short term future. Hopefully EA and others see the threat Tesla poses and start improving their own stations!

 

[Chrry]

Lucid range is still considerably better than its competitors

I rented a few different EVs before buying the Lucid and range was a major factor for me. The only one that compared to range was the Mercedes. The drive was pretty amazing as well, but for some reason… I was just stuck on Luci. When your heart tells you something, it’s hard to go against it

 

[terrycs]

Range of any model Air is still class leading. BUT, what most new BEV owners don't consider is the "ideal" capacity of the HV battery for longevity (20%-80% SOC). This means range for daily use is reduced by 40% if you want the battery to last. Not a big deal if you leased, but something to consider for those who buy and hold for the long run.

I just noticed this in the owners manual: