Man Who Sold His Posh Lucid Air Because of Charging Problems Offers More Explanations

When it comes to American EV makers, Lucid is one of the companies that shine. The Air sedan boasts top-notch engineering and is also one of the fastest family vehicles on Earth in the Sapphire spec. The car can also charge pretty fast by today's standards, a feature that allows owners to not experience any range anxiety while out and about. It also has a great range – 516 miles.

For what it offers, the sedan is worth its $82,400 - $249,000 price range.

EVs are becoming increasingly more popular and refined, but there's one issue left – acquiring one also means you're buying into a charging network. And if that web of DC stalls isn't managed by Tesla, you could experience some disappointing charging sessions.

It's not just us saying it. Many EV community members on major social networks claim that replenishing their energy storage units at stations run by brands like Dieselgate-born Electrify America often results in frustrating experiences. Dispensers being mislabeled or not working have prompted many to think that the country or even the entire world is not yet ready to switch to all-electric vehicles.

Sadly, that's hindering the efforts of cool automakers like Lucid. They can't enjoy the fruits of their labor and advance EV development as fast as possible to compete better with industry leader Tesla. People are seeing what others have experienced and decide they don't want to go through the same thing.

This now-former Lucid owner explained yet again that the charging infrastructure heavily influenced the decision to give up on the Air. But, this time, he underlined it wasn't just about DC stalls not dispensing electricity.

He bought the pricey sedan because it looked like it could be a great grand tourer. The car is, but it has no support from the companies supplying the electrons.

He explained that a Polestar joined him on one of his recent travels in Florida. That EV was also equipped with the CCS Combo 1 connector. He found an Electrify America charging station, but two of the four dispensers were not working. That only fortified his belief that the Tesla Supercharger network is the only viable solution for long zero-tailpipe emission journeys.

Another reason that made him sell the Air is that Lucid (led by former Tesla Model S chief designer Peter Rawlinson) didn't come out publicly with a statement regarding the adoption of the NACS port.

Out of Spec Dave also had other gripes about the Lucid-made EV. He pointed out that:

• wireless charging didn't work unless the phone was put in a certain position;
• the USB-C and USB-A ports are not easily accessible;
• the CarPlay interface doesn't make use of the entire infotainment screen;
• the software isn't as snappy or intuitive as Tesla's;
• changing the driver profile to adjust the seats, the mirrors, and other settings takes too long;
• there's no head-up display (HUD);
• the sun visor isn't positioned well;
• some trim pieces have snapped out of place;
• the native navigation appears on three screens simultaneously;
• the adaptive cruise control is not smooth in stop-and-go traffic;
• the hands-free microphone isn't very good;
• there's no Dog Mode that lets passersby know that the A/C is on;
• the advanced driver-assistance system that aspires to be like Ford's BlueCruise or GM's Super Cruise costs $10,000 and doesn't do lane changes by itself.

The man hopes the upcoming Lucid Gravity will sort all these problems out because he intends to check it out and maybe even consider returning to the Newark-based automaker.

Thus, fast charging issues alone didn't convince the man to get rid of the Air. The decision to part ways with the car was taken because all those negative factors were amplified by the unreliable CCS Combo 1-equipped dispensers not working properly most of the time.