For once, Tesla isn’t the leader when it comes to its EV technology, a study of charging speeds over 20 minutes has found. However, as has been the case before, the only automaker that can beat it outright is Lucid.
The Lucid Air Grand Touring can recover up to 208 miles (335 km) of range during a 20-minute charging session, a test by consulting firm P3 Group, has found. Over the course of 10 minutes, it managed to recoup 124 miles (200 km) of range.
Thanks to that performance, the Lucid Air Grand Touring managed to exceed the second-fastest charging vehicle tested, the Tesla Model S Plaid, by more than seven percent. It was able to recover 193 miles (311 km) of driving range in 20 minutes.
Interestingly, the Lucid’s true advantage was in how much range it managed to recover in the second 10 minutes of charging. Over the course of the first half of the session, it recovered just one more mile (1.6 km) than the Model S Plaid, and three fewer miles (5 km) than the third-best performing vehicle, the Kia EV6 LR RWD.
Read: Tesla Owners Put The Most Miles On Their EVs, Porsche Owners The Least
Over the course of the second half of the charging session, the Lucid gained 84 miles (135 km) of range, 14 (22 km) more than the Tesla, and 20 (32 km) more than the Kia.
P3 Group argues that the 20-minute charging session is an important metric for consumers to consider because of its implications to real-world driving. While EV drivers are unlikely to wait for a full charge at a public plug, the amount of range they can add over a short charging stint is likely to impact their driving habits.
“A typical, real-world charging session needs to answer one crucial question for the electric vehicle driver: What range is required to reach the next destination, and how long does it take to recharge that range?” the consulting group suggests.
While Tesla did not top the chart, its vehicles were among the best-performing. The Model S, Y, and 3, accounted for three of the top five fastest charging vehicles in this test. It is also worth noting that Model Y and 3 cost considerably less than the Lucid Air Grand Touring, which starts at $139,650 (including destination charge).
