- The Lucid Gravity is the fastest charging electric vehicle outside of China, blowing past the competition on a miles-replenished-per-minute basis.
- It comes natively equipped with the Tesla charging port, giving owners access to thousands of Superchargers across the U.S.
- With 450 miles of EPA range and the ability to add 350 miles of range in just over 20 minutes, the Gravity is a certified road-tripping beast.
It’s not every day you see an electric vehicle that nails its charging capabilities. That means having a natively-equipped Tesla charging port, compatibility at both Tesla and non-Tesla charging stations and offering the maximum possible charging speeds at all stations.
The Lucid Gravity does just that. It comes with a built-in Tesla charging port, tucked neatly on the rear left side of the vehicle, so owners don’t have park across two stalls to make a short Supercharger cable work. It’s also a charging monster, unlike anything we’ve seen in North America to date.
InsideEVs’ contributor and State of Charge YouTube channel host Tom Moloughney ran charging tests with the Gravity at a 250-kilowatt Tesla Supercharger and a 350 kW EVgo station in California. InsideEVs also has its own review of the production-spec Gravity coming soon.
What Tom found from his charging sessions was an EV that leaves the competition in dust and sets a new benchmark for charging speeds, in terms of miles added per minute of charging. Combined with its native Supercharger compatibility in North America, the Gravity is on a new level for fast-charging capability.
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Source: Lucid Motors
Before we get to the charging speeds, it’s worth noting that the Lucid Air is already one of the fastest charging EVs in the U.S. But its peak charging speed is limited to 50 kilowatts at Tesla Superchargers. That’s because it rides on a 900-volt architecture, whereas Tesla’s V3 Superchargers have a limited output of 250 kW and 500 volts. They don’t work very well with the Air.
Emad Dlala, senior vice president of powertrain at Lucid Motors, explains in the video below that the carmaker made several upgrades to the Gravity to address this. He says it’ll charge fast at stations with CCS ports—like EVgo and Electrify America—but also provide quick charging speeds at Superchargers.
The motors, inverters and internal wiring were all redesigned to ensure that the Gravity does not slow-charge at Tesla Superchargers like the Air. The Gravity, afterall, is natively equipped with a Tesla charging port, so owners will be stopping there often. The Supercharger network is by far the largest charging network in North America. Plus, the Gravity also gets plug-and-charge capability for Tesla Supercharger and Electrify America stations. That means owners won’t have to fiddle with credit cards and payment apps.
Tesla Supercharger Test
Now let’s dive into the charging details. At the 250 kW Tesla Supercharger—with V4 dispensers and old V3 cabinets—the Gravity added 300 miles of range in just 26 minutes of charging. It’s safe to say that the Gravity charges faster than Teslas do at Tesla Superchargers.
Lucid said it can peak at 220 kW at Tesla Superchargers. In Tom’s test, it peaked at about 210 kW and held a 200+ kW charging curve till 42% state of charge (SoC), followed by a gradual drop. It added 100 miles of range in 9.3 minutes and 200 miles of range in 17.6 minutes.
That’s less time than any coffee or refreshment break you’re likely to take on road trips. It went from 0-80% in about 35 minutes. Note that its EPA range is 450 miles. Half of that can be added in just 20 minutes at a Supercharger. But that’s not the quickest way to get back on the road.
EVgo Test
At the 350 kW EVgo station, the Gravity charged even faster. It peaked at 375 kW, about 25 kW higher than the rated output of the station. (Some newer EVgo stations dispense more energy than advertised.)
It went from 0-25% SoC in just 5 minutes, adding about 100 odd miles of range in that time. It reached 50% SoC in 12.5 minutes. So that’s over 200 miles of range in the same time it takes to grab a coffee or park and hit the bathroom. We’ve seen other cars pull 350 kws, but none of them can add so many miles of range so quickly.
Photo by: State Of Charge
The Gravity then went on to hit 80% charge in just 27 minutes. That means it can add over 350 miles of range in the same time it takes to grab a meal. Interestingly, the Gravity took longer to charge from 90-100% than it took from 0-90%. That’s because charging speeds generally slow down at the top, usually to protect the battery and to ensure that the cells don’t overheat. Like with most EVs, frequent, 15-20 minute stops will likely be your sweet spot.
The Porsche Taycan, Chevy Silverado EV and even the Lucid Air also have blistering charging speeds. But it seems like the Gravity is on a different level, so let’s hope that the rest of the EV industry follows suit, with higher voltage architectures and speeds that make charging hassle-free.
Deliveries of the Gravity are expected to begin soon in the U.S. The Grand Touring trim is now available to order at a starting price of $94,900. It gets 828 horsepower and 450 miles of range. A cheaper Touring model is expected to be available later this year.
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