What to Expect Coming from Tesla MS

[jlc]

I am approaching six years and 70K miles on the 2013 Tesla Model S I bought used and, while I still really like the car, I'm pretty sure a used Lucid Air will be its replacement. I'm guessing quite a few people here have also made this transition and I'd love your feedback on what that was like. What was the biggest positive you found once you switched to the Air and what was the one thing you missed from the MS and wished you could bring over to the Air?
Like the Teslas, I know Lucids have their quirks. What is your favorite positive quirk and what is the most annoying?

I also have some specific questions based on the research I've done so far. I understand that Lucid recently, finally, activated their self-driving features. What model year and trim level would I need to look for to have access to these features? Is/was there an option package that was required as well? Finally, does Lucid do what I gather Tesla does and either charge a fee to have this turned on if the previous owner didn't use it or a monthly subscription fee of some amount?

I know Lucid has announced that it has switched to the NACS charging standard and I can see from posts here that some folks have been using the Tesla supercharger network. Has Lucid made this available retroactively and offered adapters to owners of older cars? If so, back to what model year?

Thanks in advance for everyone's input! Looking forward to making the switch in the next year or so.
Jeff

 

[thyname]

What model year and trim level would I need to look for to have access to these features? Is/was there an option package that was required as well? Finally, does Lucid do what I gather Tesla does and either charge a fee to have this turned on if the previous owner didn't use it or a monthly subscription fee of some amount?

As far as I know, any model year with DD Pro package. No monthly fees.

 

[nashvillelucid]

I believe all Lucid’s can use the super charger network with an adapter. It is capped at 50kw though. I don’t think you will feel hemmed in by the other chargers. At least I haven’t

 

[jlc]

I believe all Lucid’s can use the super charger network with an adapter. It is capped at 50kw though. I don’t think you will feel hemmed in by the other chargers. At least I haven’t

I've seen mention of this 50kW limit on the supercharger network. I didn't follow all of the technical discussions but it sounded like a hardware incompatibility and thus not something that would ever be able to be upgraded for existing cars. Does anyone know for certain?

 

[jlc]

As far as I know, any model year with DD Pro package. No monthly fees.

Thanks. I'm guessing the DD-Pro package was more common on the higher trim cars and thus not too many Air Pure will have it. Is there a way to easily determine if a particular car has DD-Pro, say by VIN? (I'm assuming if one has access to a car and can navigate through the menus, it is easy to determine if DD-Pro is present.)

 

[johnse]

I've seen mention of this 50kW limit on the supercharger network. I didn't follow all of the technical discussions but it sounded like a hardware incompatibility and thus not something that would ever be able to be upgraded for existing cars. Does anyone know for certain?

Current Superchargers are designed to charge 400 Volt class batteries. The Lucid vehicles are all 800-926 Volt batteries. So to use Tesla chargers Lucid has to boost the voltage high enough to be greater than the battery voltage.

Lucid Air has a hardware limitation in the box that does this boost. It can only handle 50kW.

The Gravity has a completely new boost system that can achieve 225kW.

On 1000V chargers like most CCS and some newer NACS chargers, Air can peak at 350kW and Gravity at 400kW (if the charger supports that level).

Once Tesla starts installing their full V4 superchargers, they will also be 1000V systems and Air and Gravity will be able to reach their maximum peaks.

And you need to confirm the Tesla station is open for NACS partners. This is most of the V3+ Superchargers, but not all.

 

[michmill]

Hello (soon to be) fellow Model S refugee! I'm a little over 4 weeks into my my Lucid conversion from a 2017 Model S 100D.

The biggest plus of the Lucid is it's just a better car in every way, shape, and form. It rides better. It handles better. It's quieter. It's more comfortable. The interior feels luxurious. Fit and finish is better. It's just better.

The biggest downside of the Lucid coming from Tesla is the software. I had Autopilot HW3, and I do miss self-driving on non-highway roads. I also miss the ability to control both music and navigation at the same time without having to change views in the software. There are other minor software items I miss like geofenced homelink auto opening and closing (I have push a button now. Oh, the humanity!) I also miss Teslacam and Sentry Mode. The nice thing is all of these quirks can be fixed with OTA updates.

Also, use the key fob instead of the mobile key with the Lucid. It's much more reliable.

To get the hands-free self driving with Lucid, you need DreamDrive Pro. Any model year with DD Pro will have hands-free driving on highways. Unfortunately, the VIN won't tell you if the car has it. You can tell if the car has DD Pro by looking for the LIDAR sensor on the front bumper, but probably the best idea is to call Lucid service with the VIN and ask them. DD Pro hands free is really quite nice. I have completed a few hundred miles of hands-free driving, and I've only had to take control twice. This is about the same as HW3 in my Tesla. DD Pro is a factory installed option, and there isn't a post-delivery upgrade option. On the plus side, a subscription is not needed for DD Pro and hands-free driving.

As others have said, all Lucids can charge at V3 and above Tesla Superchargers. The Air needs a NACS to CCS1 adapter, which is different than a NACS to J1772 adapter (level 2). At V3 Superchargers, the Air is limited to 50kw charging due to the voltage incompatibilities. True V4 superchargers can go up to 1000v, so you can charge at full speed with an adapter (and faster than most Teslas made today). Using EA, Ionna, and other 350kw native CCS1 chargers, you should get full speed charging.

For home charging, I'm using my Tesla wall charger with a Lectron NACS to J1772 adapter and haven't had any problems.

 

[jlc]

Thanks for all the great input. While I had done a demo drive back in March, my wife wasn't along so this morning we did another so she could at least play passenger - she didn't want to drive. I will say she was gushing over the comfort and layout so I think I've gotten her permission to buy one when I can find one I like and can afford.

The sales person who helped us out was great and offered a few suggestions that, while I know are largely driven by their job requirements, raised a couple issues I want to research further and figured this group would be a great place to start. Obviously the first thing he suggested was not to buy used from a third party which I would expect but wanted to know if anyone here has bought used from a third party or private seller and if so, if you had any issues getting access to the car via the app etc. (I bought my MS in this manner and was fortunate that the used car dealer I bought from was willing and able to connect me with the previous owner who quickly transferred the car to my in Tesla's system so I had no issues.)

The second issue he brought up was to stick with 2024 and newer models due to several significant changes from the 2023s. I am aware of two changes - improved motor(s) and the heat pump based HVAC, both of which improve efficiency and thus range. If I'm not super concerned about eeking out maximum range, are there any other major reasons to avoid the 23s? Are there any other major upgrades that were made that I'm missing?

 

[spacegeek33]

It is less about the upgrades and more about the bugs for 2024 and newer. Seems like the kinks have been worked out. I came from a 2012 Tesla S you will be shocked by the improvements in a newer car. Overall, the Lucid is indeed, as the previous poster said a better car. I have a 2025 air pure without the dream drive pro as it was not available. I’ve been very very pleased with the car. I decided to lease rather than purchase outright due to concerns over companies stability frankly. I will purchase the car after the lease if things look good.

 

[hmp10]

The biggest plus of the Lucid is it's just a better car in every way, shape, and form. It rides better. It handles better. It's quieter. It's more comfortable. The interior feels luxurious. Fit and finish is better. It's just better.

Ditto.

We had a 2015 Model S P90D and then a 2021 Model S Plaid, which we bought a few months before our 2022 Air Dream Performance arrived. We've still got the Air, now have a Gravity Dream Edition, and have a second Gravity Dream on order. There is nothing that would tempt us back into the more cramped quarters of a Tesla with its body squeaks and groans, its obsession with screen-only controls, and its austere interior with lower-quality materials.