Lucid Motors’ new RangeXchange is a vehicle-to-vehicle EV charger that permits Lucid homeowners to spice up different electrical autos. Lucid had promised such a system was coming when the Air launched in 2022, however the V2V charging system was delayed till its launch earlier this yr.
Now, it is lastly right here, and I acquired to take it for a spin.
Lucid supplied me a short-term mortgage of a 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring for vary and charging exams, and I additionally requested that the car include the RangeXchange system.
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Lucid Motors’ RangeXchange
What You Want
The RangeXchange system is comprised of two elements: Lucid’s cellular charging cable package and the RangeXchange charging adapter.
Lucid’s cellular charging cable package, the second era, sells for $650.00 straight from Lucid’s web site. It comes with a 120-v NEMA 5-15 adapter and a 240-v NEMA 14-50 adapter. Lucid used to incorporate the cellular charging package with the car, nevertheless it’s now an choice.
This second-generation cellular charger is vehicle-to-vehicle succesful, however the first-generation chargers aren’t. Subsequently, Lucid homeowners who acquired the cellular charger with their vehicles can’t use it for RangeXchange. They would wish to purchase the brand new second-generation model if they need that performance. A simple option to know when you have the right cellular charger for RangeXchange is that if it got here commonplace with the car.
The RangeXchange charging adapter is required along with the cellular charger, which prices an extra $125.00. Subsequently, the RangeXchange system will set homeowners again a complete of $775.00.
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RangeXchange can ship as much as 40 amps (9.6 kW) of energy to the receiving EV. That is sufficient so as to add 10 to 18 miles of driving vary in thirty minutes, relying on how environment friendly the car is. On the uncommon events when EV homeowners run out of cost, they’re normally very near their vacation spot, so 10 miles of added vary will almost definitely get them to the place they had been going.
I charged my Chevrolet Equinox EV with the RangeXchange for 2 hours, and it added an estimated 60 miles of driving vary. The Air’s show indicated that 19 kWh was delivered from the car to the Equinox EV within the switch, however that quantity consists of system charging losses, that are in all probability within the 10% to 12% vary—maybe barely greater than AC charging from a wallbox.
Different Choices
The RangeXchange is not the one full system that permits port-to-port EV charging, different electrical autos can cost EVs in want. Normal Motors has an identical system that wants an adapter to plug into its cellular charging choice.
Ford, Chevrolet, and Tesla all have 240-volt shops of their electrical pickup truck choices that enable customers to plug in a transportable charger and cost different EVs.
Hyundai and Kia even have a vehicle-to-load function that permits their EVs to ship energy out of the cost port by way of a V2L adapter, and there are others.
Car-to-vehicle charging is right here to remain. I imagine that by the top of the last decade, each EV offered may have that performance. Moreover, the autos will all be capable of ship energy again to your own home or different vacation spot when wanted.
Lucid’s RangeXchange could also be one of many first, nevertheless it will not be the final. Future V2V and V2L methods may have further options, and sure, they may even be extra inexpensive.