So Lucid developed a proprietary “enhance” know-how—it declined to present WIRED exact particulars—to lift incoming 500-volt energy to match the pack’s 926 volts. It says solely that it makes use of the rear motor unit to take action, presumably by one of many windings appearing as a DC-DC inverter. The enhance perform delivers as much as 225 kW from a v3 Supercharger.
Lucid additionally moved the Gravity’s charge-port door from the left-front fender to the left rear, simply as it’s right now on Tesla vehicles—permitting the Gravity to make use of present Tesla v3 Superchargers with their characteristically brief cables. Whereas two preproduction vehicles on the drive occasion had each ports, any Gravity you should buy comes with a NACS connector—together with a CCS-NACS adapter. And, laudably, the corporate labored with Tesla to do the software program integration that enables correct Plug and Cost at Tesla chargers: plug within the automobile, stroll away, and all of the authentication and billing is finished on the again finish, mechanically.
Conserving 12-Volt Batteries Wholesome
One other electrical trick: The Gravity makes use of a “Micro DC-DC converter” to trickle-charge the Gravity’s 12-volt batteries from the traction battery somewhat than recharging them solely periodically. That vastly extends the lifetime of any 12-volt battery, a century-old know-how not designed for normal deep discharges earlier than recharging. Why two 12V batteries? For redundancy, so it will probably park safely together with the street even when one battery is broken in a crash.
Lucid says the Gravity’s sensor suite—12 exterior and two inside cameras, 5 radars, one lidar, and 12 ultrasonic sensors— will “allow Degree 3 autonomy,” it’s nonetheless rolling out sure of its premium ADAS options through over-the-air updates. The complete characteristic set of DreamDrive 2 Professional is deliberate for a fall supply; that features not solely hands-free enhanced cruise management, but in addition the distinctive “Curb Rash Alert” to sound an alarm if a driver is at risk of scraping a wheel on a curb.
Not a Butch SUV, however What Is It?
EV design typically takes benefit of the packaging alternatives, with a brief beveled nostril and an extended cabin (see the Tesla Mannequin 3, Jaguar I-Tempo). Different makers (like BMW) draw back from something that implies their EVs aren’t “common” vehicles, that means proportions that might home a combustion engine up entrance. Lucid sits firmly within the first camp. The rear doorways are large, entry to the third row is as straightforward as any automobile we’ve examined, and a 6’6″ colleague was in a position to climb into that third row and sit with some semblance of consolation.
Courtesy of Lucid Motors
Courtesy of Lucid Motors
It’s all concerning the drag, or extra exactly, lessening it to each final doable diploma to wring higher vary out of a given battery capability. Lucid quotes a drag coefficient of 0.24, exceptional for a automobile this massive—although Cd figures from totally different makers can’t be in contrast as a consequence of various strategies of measurement. Mixed with a remarkably gentle weight of simply 6,000 kilos (due to aluminum building), the slippery design produces an effectivity of as much as 3.6 miles/kWh (450 miles from a 123-kWh pack). It varies with wheel measurement (smaller is best) and passenger configuration (5 seats is best than seven).
Drives Smaller Than It Is
Our automobile, the seven-seat mannequin with 20- and 21-inch wheels (entrance and rear), confirmed simply 2.22 miles/kWh after an brisk drive by the foothills of Los Olivos, California. However our driving was hardly typical of the rich suburbanite-family duties the Gravity will probably see.
We did some acceleration runs, took it briefly to extra-legal speeds on limited-access highways, and cycled commonly among the many three drive modes: Clean (regular), Swift (sport), and Dash (quickest). Clean gave a barely busy trip, whereas Swift felt extra managed and exact. Dash was essentially the most “German” of the three. We principally toggled between the final two, however the variations amongst them had been extra refined and far much less pronounced than in different EVs WIRED has pushed.
