When gas-powered cars were a new technology, automakers experimented with many ways to make them practical. It took nearly three decades from the moment the first car was sold in the U.S. until the way we control them became something you’d recognize, with pedals, a shifter, and a steering wheel.
Likewise, in the early days of electric vehicles (EVs), automakers are devising many new ways to build them. We may look back on early Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S EVs in a few decades and barely recognize their technology.
EV startup Lucid thinks it may have made the next breakthrough – a way for a car to boost the power of the charging station it plugs into.
The technology will appear first on the brand’s new 2025 Gravity – a 3-row SUV with a high-floating display screen above the steering wheel, a bench seat hidden in its front trunk, and an estimated range of 450 miles between charging sessions. The Gravity will start at $81,550, including a mandatory $1,650 destination fee.
Uses a Motor to Boost Charging Voltage
In a press release, Lucid explains the new technology:
“To enable this superlative charging performance, Lucid developed and patented an innovative technology employing its proprietary rear motor drive unit to boost the charging voltage of 500V to match the 926V of the Lucid battery pack. Unlike the pack splitting solutions used by some competitors, this high-tech solution permits charging with the highest voltage that a charging station is capable of outputting and therefore enables the efficient utilization of electrical current and consequent reduction of cable heat.”
The company says, at peak charging rates, the Gravity can add 200 miles of range in just 12 plugged-in minutes.
That requires access to a 500V or 1,000V Level 3 charger – the fastest public charger available. Those remain relatively rare in most parts of the country.
Related: EV Charging Stations — Everything You Need to Know
The Gravity will use a Tesla-style NACS port, Lucid says. Tesla’s Supercharger network will open to Lucid owners on Jan. 31. Buyers will get a complimentary adapter, allowing them to use CCS-style chargers as well. The adapter, Lucid says, is the first of its kind, able to support charging at 1,000V.
The Gravity will be capable of bi-directional charging, the company says, and “enables charging another electric vehicle directly via the NACS connector with an optional RangeXchange cable.”