Lucid reveals impressive 300 kW charge rate for Air electric car, bi-directional charging, and more

Lucid Motors has revealed its charging capacity and strategy for the Air electric sedan with an impressive 300 kW peak charge rate, bi-directional charging, 19 kW level 2 charging capacity, and more.

With the launch coming up next month, Lucid is gradually releasing more information about its first electric car, the Lucid Air.

Earlier this month,  the startup announced that third-party test results showed the EPA range of the luxury sedan is going to be 517 miles on a single charge.

Now, Lucid released details regarding the charging capabilities of the electric car.

Here are the main points from the announcement:

• DC fast charging at up to 20 miles per minute, with a peak charging rate of over 300kW
• Ultra-high voltage 900V+ electrical architecture
• 19.2kW AC onboard charger that can support AC charging speeds up to 80 miles per hour
• Integrated boost charging and the broadest range of charging compatibility from AC Levels 1 and 2, up to the most powerful Level 3 DC fast charging, utilizing the universal CCS connector standard for connectivity to, and fast charging at, any public charging network.
• Full bi-directionality for advanced Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) capabilities built-in for future enablement of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) features

Lucid is using the CCS standard and partnered with Electrify America to give Lucid Air owners three years of complimentary charging.

Lucid also announced a “Lucid Connected Home Charging Station” (pictured above) and the ability to charge both ways:

“Home charging is one of the key benefits of EV ownership. In addition to the standard Lucid Mobile Charging Cord that comes with every Lucid vehicle, Lucid has also developed the Lucid Connected Home Charging Station, one of the first AC charging stations with bi-directional charging ever offered. With bi-directional charging, owners can enjoy a more cost-effective charging method and also use their Lucid Air as a temporary energy reserve to power their homes, including off-grid vacation properties. Lucid has developed an integrated partnership with Qmerit that provides for a more seamless installation process for the Lucid Connected Home Charging Station. Lucid Air owners begin by completing a simple digital survey and Qmerit uses the results to manage the entire installation process through its nationwide network of highly trained and licensed electricians.”

Lucid also announced that it is developing “static Energy Storage Systems (ESS),” which is actually how the company originally started half a decade ago when it was named Atieva.

Electrek’s Take

Lucid claims that it is the “fastest charging electric vehicle ever offered,” and it has a good case for it.

Everyone uses different metrics and the peak rate is good at 300 kW, but what is more impressive is adding 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes of charging.

That’s a charge rate of 900 miles per hour sustained over 20 minutes — very impressive.

Man, the Lucid Air is starting to look incredible overall.

With over 500 miles of range, 300 kW charging, bi-directional charging, and 19 kW on-board charger, that’s some impressive technology.

I’m expecting that it will be expensive, like around $150,000, but Lucid is obviously pushing the technology forward and it could become cheaper in future vehicles.