The Lucid Air can charge faster than a Tesla Model S or Porsche Taycan, a test by InsideEVs has confirmed.
In a session at an Electrify America DC fast-charging station, a Lucid Air Dream Edition went from a 0% to 80% state of charge in 37 minutes, and the took another 45 minutes to get from 80% to 100%. That differential is typical of DC fast charging, which slows down significantly after 80% regardless of the vehicle.
InsideEVs also reported hitting Lucid\’s quoted 300 kw of maximum charging power. This allowed the Air to charge its battery pack to 50 kwh—half the capacity of the Model S pack—in just 11 minutes. In previous tests, it took the Model S 15 minutes to reach 50 kwh, while the Taycan took 23 minutes to do the same, Inside EVs noted.
That said, there are significant charging losses for DC fast charging, and although the Electrify America hardware indicated 134 kwh dispensed, this does not show that the Air Dream Edition has a larger battery than its indicated 118 kwh. Typically there is heat lost at the cable and connector, and also within the vehicle on the way to the cells; some of the charger\’s energy might also be used in keeping the pack cool during such a rapid charging session.
Lucid Air Dream Edition
Lucid has quoted 300 miles in 20 minutes and up to 20 miles of range per minute—close to the results suggested by this test. The Air added 200 miles in about 12 minutes and 300 miles in about 25 minutes. The Air has a maximum EPA range of 520 miles, but this test shows it can also add lots of usable range in a fairly short period of time. Provided the driver has access to a 350-kw charging station, that is.
We didn\’t get to put Lucid\’s range or charging claims to the test during our short first drive, but still found plenty to like about the Air, including mind-boggling acceleration and a roomy interior.
CEO Peter Rawlinson has said that efficiency is what drives Lucid more than range, and that a world-leading range was the happy result of that. It appears Lucid can now add impressive charging speed to the Air\’s list of plaudits as well.
