One of the concerns facing EV owners is what happens if they run out of power on the road. However, now Lucid Air owners can turn their vehicle into a Jerry can and come to the rescue of other EVs thanks to its new RangeXchange feature.
Available for purchase in the U.S., owners who want it must buy an adapter (which forms a cord with two plug ends) and update their vehicle to the latest software. This marks the first time that Lucid is taking advantage of the “Wunderbox”, its bidirectional charging technology.
The box allows energy to flow out from an Air’s battery at a rate of up to 9.6 kW. While the amount of range that adds to an EV will vary from vehicle to vehicle, Lucid estimates that it should be good for between 24 and 40 miles of added range per hour — which should be helpful in getting an EV with a dead battery to the nearest charging station where it can charge faster.
Read: EV Owners Are Buzzing Over Bi-Directional Charging
“I’m delighted that Lucid continues to innovate, enabled by our integrated fusion of software and hardware,” said Peter Rawlinson, Lucid CEO. “RangeXchange is a small step to further enhance the everyday usability of the electric vehicle.”
The Wunderbox, which powers the function, was designed in-house by Lucid. Although this is the first implementation of a feature that allows power to be siphoned out of the Air’s battery pack, the technology could theoretically offer other functions, too.
“From giving other EVs a boost with RangeXchange today, to possible future applications like vehicle-to-home backup power, time-of-use (TOU) optimization, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power, Lucid’s proprietary bidirectional charging technology has the potential to greatly improve our customers’ lives,” said Erich Bach, Lucid’s chief engineer.
Although the function will be enabled via an over-the-air update, customers will have to go to Lucid’s website to buy the cable adapter. Prices have not yet been revealed, but the adapter should be able to charge any EV, including a Tesla, if Lucid’s spicy little clap back of a product image is anything to on.
