Why did you decide for the Lucid Air vs. Model S, EQS, i7, Taycan, ...?

[Chirpy]

Long post - apologies.

I’ve considered iX, EQS, EQE, Model Y and Taycan, but the seemingly real world range of the Air GT is a major factor to me. Plus I love the way it looks.

I really want an electric car as our main car (my wife had an i3S and it was a blast). I figured that in the U.K. it would take until 2023 until charging infrastructure had been built out sufficiently and manufacturers had brought some interesting and new cars to market (4680 model Y?) I’m running a stop-gap car that goes back in April 23 as a result.

The talked about Tesla charging network opening up to non Tesla’s sounded a bit like lots of other things supposedly coming from them - until yesterday, when they opened up a ‘trial’ number of superchargers to non Tesla’s. It’s real, they’re there on the Tesla app and it appears you can just charge like you would via the app if you were driving a Tesla. I could be wrong as I haven’t tried.

This raises the question of how the charging port position of many EV’s is going to work with the short cables that superchargers seem to use? I’ve read some fairly strong views on the U.K. and Ireland section of teslamotorsclub.com

Maybe some of the Tesla owners and electrical engineers on here have a view? Might some kind of extension cable work?

I always thought that Tesla built their charging network for the benefit of their cars only as a solution to patchy and inconsistent offerings from others. Maybe Tesla have decided they see a business opportunity in being a charging network and are now working at their customary speed to maintain their USP? People on the Tesla forum I’ve looked at feel they’ve paid for the infrastructure and see it as a key differentiator which makes some a bit aggressive about it. I certainly think it’s a big reason in the U.K. to buy a Tesla. They seem like they are about to give it away for the greater good - at least I’ve seen Elon quoted as saying that.

If it’s possible to use the Tesla supercharging network that will be a game changer for me.

I’d be interested in the forum view why if they’re rolling it out in Europe Tesla wouldn’t also do it in the U.S.?

 

[Dortreo]

Marketing at Lucid is likely reading and loving this thread. Usually you have to pay decent bucks to get this kind of consumer input.

That being said, I chose the Lucid because it’s the first EV that didn’t require any compromises:

* Enough range that I didn’t have to compromise my style of driving or worry about charger availability
* A sharp and roomy interior with a real steering wheel
* An incredible driving experience with oodles of power and excellent handling

At some point, I hope the software catches up to the mechanicals of the car.

 

[Volker.Berlin]

I’d be interested in the forum view why if they’re rolling it out in Europe Tesla wouldn’t also do it in the U.S.?

The reason is simple and mechanical: In Europe there is a standardized DC-plug called CCS, that is also used by newer Tesla models and that has long become standard for all new Supercharger sites. Older Tesla models (orginal Model S and Model X) can upgrade to CSS by way of an adapter and a small hardware upgrade, for some reasonable cost. Thus, making a European Supercharger available to the public is mostly an act of changing some software configuration (put simply). In the U.S., Tesla's vehicles still use a proprietary connector, and the Superchargers so far only support this. So even if you were allowed to charge your Lucid Air at a Supercharger in the U.S., you wouldn't be able to. The plug does not fit.

More about the public availability of Tesla Superchargers:

Non-Tesla Supercharger Pilot | Tesla Support

Launched in November 2021, our Non-Tesla Supercharger pilot will continue to expand to new sites and countries in support of our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

www.tesla.com

P.S. IMO any more discussion on this interesting topic would warrant a thread of its own.

 

[jabbahop]

I guess I am 50/50 in terms of running to Lucid vs running from Tesla. We‘ve had 3 Model S’s (currently 2021 long range), had 2012 Volt, and have a 2014 BMWi3.

We are snowbirds so drive between Southern Utah and Vermont so enough range, charging availability & speed, comfort and storage space are must haves and the reason that only Lucid and Tesla are in the current consideration set.

Running from Tesla: Surprising to me I am fine with the Yoke (freeway driving) and turn signals even though I thought I would hate them. My big beefs with our Model S are 1) the firmed up the suspension on the 2021 vs prior years (Plaid/Nurenburg affect?) so ride comfort is worse. 2) I had high hopes for active noise cancellation but it really does nothing despite Elon’s hype. 3) range is good but overstated as reviewers have found. 4) customer service and vehicle service a pathetic. I have several squeaks and rattles which they try to fix but can’t. I can’t talk with anyone - only message through the app to get updates (when they choose to respond). 5) Elon has said he doesn’t really care about the Model S and I think it shows. He is treating Tesla like his cash cow for his Mars colony and I would prefer to give me $ to a company that cares about its customers and is passionate about solving their problems.

Running to Lucid: To be clear, I have only seen one Lucid in person so have no first hand experience inside or driving the car so my perspective isn’t well informed yet. 1) I love the range/efficiency of Lucid 2) I am hoping the car is as comfortable, smooth and quiet as reviewers and owners say. 3) I love the passion and focus on the car and the whole ownership experience (though some of the stories about communication and delivery problems give me pause). 4) the investment in leading technology for EVs. We also have a Rivian truck reservation so we can retire our VW Toureg as our camping vehicle and I love their passion and focus as well.

Reservations - Having never used CCS charging I am a big concerned about the availability and reliability vs Superchargers. I am not in love with the Lucid trunk (vs hatch) nor the silver glass roof surround styling but I guess I can live with it (or not if I opt for the Pure).

 

[DeaneG]

... Having never used CCS charging I am a big concerned about the availability and reliability vs Superchargers.

Most people who've only owned Teslas have no idea- there are currently more than 3x as many CCS DCFC locations in the USA as supercharger locations. However only about 65% as many CCS charging stalls as supercharger stalls. Supercharger reliability is better than CCS. But it's not bad and can be very workable. We always take our shorter-range CCS XC40 EV on road trips instead of our Model 3, as the XC40 is just a much better car. The Air would replace the 3 and be useable for long trips that don't require high ground clearance. We'll probably still favor the XC40 in town as it's a more convenient package (fun-sized) with Google navigation, Google Assistant, and other apps that are the same as our corresponding phone apps and integrate seamlessly with them.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Electric Vehicle Charging Station Locations

afdc.energy.gov

 

[JonS]

I’ve had a Model S, a Model 3, an Audi Etron, and a Taycan.

The model s and 3 had terrible build qualities. Software was great, but build really lacked. We sold our 3 to my sister and Lemoned the model S.

We had the Etron for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic, ended up selling it because I didn’t like the SUV form factor.
The build quality was worlds better than the Tesla cars, but the infotainment system was meh.

We really enjoy our Taycan, but Porsche will be Porsche. They have given the finger to 2020 and 2021 buyers in terms of OTA. They promised full OTA and then have refused to give us the latest software that the 2022 have. The navigation is absolutely abysmal (you can’t view the route…), and the infotainment is very slow.
The build quality and interior are fantastic and the car is a blast to drive, however

The Lucid is just a really high end and nice luxury EV, it checked all the boxes for me. The only thing I dislike is the broken software. However, I know they will continue to update it, as opposed to Porsche.

+1 to all of this. My wife is driving a Model 3 Performance and I’m in a fully loaded Taycan Turbo. I agree with the Taycan observations apart from the fact that I’ve had lots of components fail. Currently I have no reversing camera and no line of sight on when the part will arrive. They aren’t even sure if it’s the camera or the wiring.

From my limited test drive the Lucid is close enough to the Taycan cornering to be engaging and more progressive with the power delivery.

I’m looking forward to trading the Taycan when my Grand Touring Performance arrives in two months. My wife is going to trade her Model 3 for a Rivian R1S.

 

[Paladin732]

+1 to all of this. My wife is driving a Model 3 Performance and I’m in a fully loaded Taycan Turbo. I agree with the Taycan observations apart from the fact that I’ve had lots of components fail. Currently I have no reversing camera and no line of sight on when the part will arrive. They aren’t even sure if it’s the camera or the wiring.

From my limited test drive the Lucid is close enough to the Taycan cornering to be engaging and more progressive with the power delivery.

I’m looking forward to trading the Taycan when my Grand Touring Performance arrives in two months. My wife is going to trade her Model 3 for a Rivian R1S.

I've had components fail also, but it feels like poor software/firmware to me more than cheaping out on the components.

For instance, we had our high voltage heater fail and it had apparently been a known issue with the firmware in the part. It took like 3 weeks to get it replaced though