Lucid Leaps Ahead in Charging Speed Technology
MiamiCars.com has been watching the Lucid Air since its early introduction and one of the features we’ve hearing about now is their advances in the “charging wars”. The battle is for the fastest charging technology. Reducing the “time at the pump” is a major concern for EV makers. Tesla has boasted the fastest charging technology, but….
It’s confirmed. In Car and Driver testing, A 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance averaged 135 kilowatts during DC fast-charge test, making it the quickest-charging EV Car and Driver has tested. At a 350-kW Electrify America charging station, it recharged its 118.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack from 10 to 90 percent in 46 minutes. Its peak charging rate of 297 kilowatts is 47 kilowatts higher than what the Tesla Model S Plaid accepted, and its average rate is 10 kilowatts higher.
There are a number of amazing EVs out there, cars, trucks, crossovers — and they’re coming fast — just spend an evening watching TV — electric vehicles are charging into the mainstream. The Lucid is a masterful EV, But there are also EVs from Mercedes, Audi, Tesla and others that are spectacular achievements. But the future will require shortening the time spent at a charging station. To see how quickly they can replenish their batteries, an electric vehicle was plugged in at a DC fast charger that can support the maximum the vehicle can accept and charge from 10 to 90 percent. A 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance just had the quickest charging rate we’ve seen yet, with an average of 135 kilowatts.
Get ready, Miami. The Lucid Is Here.
There’s not too much NOT to like about the truly awesome Lucid Air Dream Edition, and the electric-vehicle startup based out of Newark, California. The company touts one of the highest peak charging rates its cars can accept in the EV market today: 300 kilowatts. In testing, a peak rate of 297 kilowatts—the highest yet reported—just after the vehicle was plugged in at a 350-kW Electrify America station. The Lucid completed charging 80 percent of its 118.0-kWh battery pack in 46 minutes.
A Tesla Model S Plaid, which had an average rate of 125 kilowatts, was previously the EV with the highest average rate we’ve recorded. It held its peak rate of 250 kilowatts for almost five minutes and got to a 90 percent state of charge in 38 minutes, but its pack holds roughly 19 percent less energy than the Lucid’s. Once the Plaid dips below its 250-kW peak, the Lucid charges at a higher rate for the remainder of the charging session.
The Lucid Air is currently available in Dream Edition Range and Performance (like the one tested here) models starting at $170,500. They’re EPA rated at 520 and 471 miles of range. Three cheaper models, starting at $77,400, will be available by the end of the year.
