Can electrical autos meet or exceed what the very best gas-powered automobiles can do, in each scenario and below any situations? At the same time as an EV advocate, I might be the primary to reply that query with a practical “not but.” However EV choices are getting higher and higher all the time, and a few manufacturers are proving to be mild years forward of others. Living proof: a current 70 mph freeway vary take a look at of the Lucid Air Grand Touring actually proves that if yow will discover a greater road-trip machine—gasoline or electrical—simply purchase it. However we’re unsure that you’ll.
Longtime InsideEVs Contributing Editor and charging professional Tom Moloughney lately put a 2024 Air Grand Touring by way of certainly one of his well-known 70 mph vary assessments. This is similar mannequin of Air that Tom and I drove from New York Metropolis to Boston and again in at some point, albeit not the very same automotive—my tester had the 20-inch wheels, yielding “solely” an EPA-estimated 480 miles of vary.
In a while, Tom acquired the nice one. That one has 19-inch wheels, giving it an EPA-estimated 516 miles of vary and making it the longest-distance electrical automotive you should purchase. That even places its complete vary above many gas-powered automobiles, though a number of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and big-tank vehicles have it crushed. However within the electrical world, the Air Grand Touring is unmatched.
A lot in order that Tom had to do that take a look at in a single day, as a result of the automotive runs for therefore lengthy that morning or night rush hour site visitors would’ve made it unattainable. (Tom has extra dedication than I do; I like my sleep.) However in doing so, he managed to get the Air Grand Touring to run for a staggering 463 miles at 70 mph.
That is actually spectacular, however to me, it is not shocking. We now have lengthy identified that the Air Grand Touring was able to such unimaginable distances with out stopping. In reality, in our NYC-Boston-NYC journey earlier this yr, we lined about 460 miles in a single day. We stopped to quick cost, however candidly, that felt extra precautionary than obligatory. I guess the automotive might’ve achieved it multi functional go, had we been cautious sufficient.
Maybe extra importantly, the Lucid Air proves that effectivity—not battery dimension—is the way you win the day. His Air Grand Touring netted a formidable 4.1 miles per kilowatt hour score by the top of the take a look at. As somebody who considers something over 3.0 miles per kilowatt hour to be “good,” the truth that the Lucid might pull off such numbers on the freeway (when EVs are at their least environment friendly) proves how authentic it’s.
There are few automobiles that come near matching what the Air Grand Touring can do proper now. One is the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which for all that model’s EV challenges is a variety monster itself, and the Tesla Mannequin S; identical, even for its age. However proper now, Lucid is the one to beat.
Try Tom’s full take a look at above and tell us what you suppose.
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