- RangeXchange lets Lucid owners charge other electric vehicles.
- It's a vehicle-to-vehicle charger.
- RangeXchange has two parts: Lucid's mobile charging cable kit and the RangeXchange charging adapter. In total, the system costs $775.
Lucid Motors' new RangeXchange is a vehicle-to-vehicle EV charger that allows Lucid owners to boost other electric vehicles. Lucid had promised such a system was coming when the Air launched in 2022, but the V2V charging system was delayed until its release earlier this year.
Now, it's finally here, and I got to take it for a spin.
Lucid offered me a short-term loan of a 2024 Lucid Air Grand Touring for range and charging tests, and I also asked that the vehicle come with the RangeXchange system.
What You Need
The RangeXchange system is comprised of two parts: Lucid's mobile charging cable kit and the RangeXchange charging adapter.
Lucid's mobile charging cable kit, the second generation, sells for $650.00 directly from Lucid's website. It comes with a 120-v NEMA 5-15 adapter and a 240-v NEMA 14-50 adapter. Lucid used to include the mobile charging kit with the vehicle, but it's now an option.
This second-generation mobile charger is vehicle-to-vehicle capable, but the first-generation chargers aren't. Therefore, Lucid owners who received the mobile charger with their cars cannot use it for RangeXchange. They would need to buy the new second-generation version if they want that functionality. An easy way to know if you have the correct mobile charger for RangeXchange is if it came standard with the vehicle.
The RangeXchange charging adapter is required in addition to the mobile charger, which costs an additional $125.00. Therefore, the RangeXchange system will set owners back a total of $775.00.
Gallery: Lucid RangeXchange
RangeXchange can deliver up to 40 amps (9.6 kW) of power to the receiving EV. That's enough to add 10 to 18 miles of driving range in thirty minutes, depending on how efficient the vehicle is. On the rare occasions when EV owners run out of charge, they are usually very close to their destination, so 10 miles of added range will most likely get them to where they were going.
I charged my Chevrolet Equinox EV with the RangeXchange for two hours, and it added an estimated 60 miles of driving range. The Air's display indicated that 19 kWh was delivered from the vehicle to the Equinox EV in the transfer, but that number includes system charging losses, which are probably in the 10% to 12% range—perhaps slightly more than AC charging from a wallbox.
Other Options
The RangeXchange isn't the only complete system that allows port-to-port EV charging, other electric vehicles can charge EVs in need. General Motors has a similar system that needs an adapter to plug into its mobile charging option.
Ford, Chevrolet, and Tesla all have 240-volt outlets in their electric pickup truck offerings that allow users to plug in a portable charger and charge other EVs.
Hyundai and Kia also have a vehicle-to-load feature that enables their EVs to send power out of the charge port via a V2L adapter, and there are others.
Vehicle-to-vehicle charging is here to stay. I believe that by the end of the decade, every EV sold will have that functionality. Additionally, the vehicles will all be able to send power back to your home or other destination when needed.
Lucid's RangeXchange may be one of the first, but it won't be the last. Future V2V and V2L systems will have additional features, and yes, they will also be more affordable.
