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Lucid Air Grand Touring Is the Fastest-Charging EV on the Market, What About Tesla?

Lucid Air Touring 8 photos
Photo: Lucid Motors | Edited
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Having the biggest range is not always important if replenishing a massive battery takes a lot of time. Thankfully, the Lucid Air Grand Touring has not only the highest range but also the fastest charging speed on the market. In 20 minutes of charging, the luxury electric sedan can add 208 miles of range.
Many EV buyers consider range one of the most important factors influencing their choice. Because a longer range almost always means a bigger battery, not everyone agrees with the idea of having as much range as possible. Elon Musk famously dismissed Lucid's record of a 520-mile EPA range in 2021. Half a year later, Musk said Tesla could've done a 600-mile EV before Lucid, but having such a big battery would've made the Model S worse.

A big battery comes with heavier car problems, including lower efficiency and accelerated wear of the chassis components. Besides that, charging a bigger battery takes more. You wouldn't guess, but charging speed is an even bigger concern for EV buyers than the limited range. Everyone compares charging time with the time spent filling up the tank of a gasoline vehicle. The longer it takes, the worse it gets. And the bigger the battery is, the longer it takes to charge fully.

To achieve the 520-mile EPA range, Lucid Air has a big battery pack at 112 kWh. It's the highest-capacity battery for an electric vehicle that is not a pickup truck. Charging it fully would naturally take longer than smaller packs when hooked up to a similar DC fast charger. Still, this is only one way of looking at things. The other one is to consider how much further you can go after a pre-determined charging time. Here, the charging capabilities of EVs come into play, and some charge faster than others.

It's enough to say that the Lucid Air Grand Touring is also the fastest-charging EV in the market, despite having a big battery pack. When hooked to a compatible DC fast charger, it can add 208 miles in a 20-minute session, more than any other EV analyzed by P3 Group in their study. The paper examined the fast-charging capabilities of 13 electric vehicles sold in the US. P3 Group divides the EVs based on the eligibility for the IRA tax credit, even though it has nothing to do with the charging performance.

For this study, all electric vehicles tested, except the Tesla models, were charged at charging stations of the same network provider in California, with a maximum charging power of 350 kW. The Tesla Model S Plaid, Model Y LR AWD, and Model 3 LR AWD were measured at a Tesla Supercharger V3. For the study, a charge from 10% to 80% was considered.

The study showed Tesla's impressive efficiency, as all three models tested finished in the Top 5. The Model S ranked second behind the Lucid Air, adding 193 miles in a 20 minutes session. It was followed by Kia EV6 Long Range RWD, with 191 miles. The Model 3 and Model Y placed fourth and fifth, with 169 miles and 161 miles, respectively. Tesla left its rival Porsche Taycan in the dust, as the electric GTS only managed to add 153 miles in a 20-minute charging session.
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 Download: P3 Charging Index 2023 - US (PDF)

About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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