Lucid Air passes the Canadian winter test with flying colors
I had the opportunity to drive the Lucid Air Touring for a little more than a week during the holidays, and I can say with confidence that the California-designed and engineered electric luxury sedan passes the Canadian winter test with flying colors.
I am impressed. Let’s dive into it.
I had never had the chance to drive a Lucid before. Our own Scooter Doll is our main reporter on the Lucid beat, and he is a big fan of the Air, to say the least. His main complaint has been the software, which has been improving as of late, so I was excited to give it a shot with a more complete version of the car.
Since launching in Quebec, they had tried to get me in a car, but we couldn’t make it happen. Eventually, they told me they had one for me on December 23rd.
Even though it was the holidays, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity and went to pick the sleek red Air Touring for my holiday travels.
I have been following the company for a long time. From their transition as Atieva, an electric powertrain and energy storage company, to Lucid, a complete electric vehicle maker. Getting to drive one felt like a long time coming.
Lucid Air Touring
Now, I say it passes the Canadian winter test, and if you are from the region, you might say: “What winter?” Winters are indeed becoming milder around here, but I had the car for just over a week, and the timing was perfect for a true winter test.
A few hours after picking up the car in Montreal, I had to drive it back home to Shawinigan in the middle of a decent snowstorm. Two hours in the snow and the left lane on the 40 East wasn’t even plowed.
Generally speaking, a new car I am not familiar with plus a snowstorm equals being extra careful, and I was obviously cautious, but the Lucid Air’s impressive driving dynamics quickly gave me an incredible amount of confidence.
At 5,200 lbs, it’s a heavy vehicle, but it is an incredibly well-balanced 5,200 lbs.
The Air Touring is just the third most powerful version of Lucid’s flagship sedan, but I never felt like I needed more power, and that makes sense, considering it is pushing 620 hp and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.
I was able to pass vehicles easily, even in the snow, and always felt in complete control of the vehicle. It is a fun, comfortable drive.
Speaking of comfort, the Lucid Air is a true luxury sedan with all the comfort features you would expect and more. The level of customization is also impressive for the seats. You could adjust them for hours to get them perfect.
The backseat is also impressive. Lucid did a great job optimizing the interior. The backseat feels like a limousine:
It’s a great car for drivers, for passengers, but the trunk space is where some people criticize the Lucid Air.
I understand why, but I would argue that trunk space is not a real problem. The trunk opening is one. It is extremely small and short:
However, in terms of volume, it is more than decent. You just need to be able to get things in. Thanks to Lucid’s extremely compact motors, there are very deep hidden compartments at the bottom of the trunk and frunk.
It leaves plenty of room for luggage, but again, it needs to fit the opening first.
For our travels, it was just my girlfriend, our cat, and I, but I could see this car easily fitting four people and luggage for a week.
That’s a good thing because this is a great road trip car, thanks to its incredible efficiency.
The Lucid Air Touring is rated at an EPA range of 406 miles (653 km), but like any other EVs or gas-powered vehicles, your mileage may vary, and the cold affects the mileage badly.
As I said, our winters are becoming milder, but I had the perfect Canadian winter test condition on Christmas day. We drove from Shawinigan to Quebec City, drove around the city, parked for hours in the cold without charging, and then went back to Shawinigan on a single charge.
Overall, it was just over 400 km (250 miles) and I arrived home with 27 km:
That might not seem too impressive for a 400-mile car, but the temperature on the drive ranged from -18 to -8°C (-1 to 18°F). If you have drivem EVs in those temperatures, you know that this is impressive.
What is most impressive is that I didn’t have to adapt my driving thanks to the impressive range and efficiency.
When I drive long distances in an electric vehicle in the cold, I would generally reduce my speed in order to extend the range, but in this case, I got a pretty good idea of the efficiency on the drive to Quebec City, so I was confident on my way back that I could make it without stopping to charge.
It enabled me to drive on the highway at my usual 119 km/h on cruise control and make it without breaking a sweat.
Electrek’s Take
That’s a game-changer. There’s no compromise. At Electrek, we like to emphasize that range is not everything with EVs. Non-EV drivers tend to think that you need more than 400 miles to have a viable EV. That’s wrong unless you drive 400 miles or more in one go often, which is not how most people use cars.
A 200-mile EV with fast-charging is a great solution for most people as you wake up with a full charge every day and for the few times a year when you drive long distances, you are able to stop for a quick 20-40-minute charge, which enables you to drive 300-400 miles in a single day easily.
However, things change in extreme cold. Once you start hitting temperatures below -15°C (5°F), the range starts to be affected badly, and that’s when a longer range becomes super useful.
Honestly, I’ve been driving EVs in the Canadian cold for almost a decade, and it hasn’t been a major issue for me. If you adapt your driving, you will be OK, and over that decade, I’ve also seen range prediction and efficiency improving, which help with this issue.
But now, if you have the money, you also have another solution: the Lucid Air. It’s truly a great, no compromise vehicle, as long as you have the money since the Lucid Air Touring at $78,900 USD ($109,300. CAD).
If you do, it would be hard to find a downside compared to other similarly priced vehicles. As previously mentioned, the software has been an issue with early versions of the Air.
I’ve only ever experienced the latest version of Lucid’s software and despite some issues, I found it more than decent, especially compared to legacy automakers.
It is equipped with Apple Carplay for those who like it, but the native navigation worked great for me, and it also has a native Spotify app. Personally, I don’t need much more than that. It’s not all perfect though. On two occasions, I had issue connecting my phone to the car and I had to disconnect and reconnect it several times for it to work.
There’s also plenty of room for UI optimization. I would like to see something like media controls for the passenger at the bottom of the center display or the right of the top display.
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Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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Kia’s electric SUVs are taking over. The EV3 is the best-selling retail EV in the UK this year, giving Kia its strongest sales start since it arrived 34 years ago. And it’s not just in the UK. Kia just had its best first quarter globally since it started selling cars in 1962.
Kia EV3 is the best-selling EV in the UK through March
In March, Kia sold a record nearly 20,000 vehicles in the UK, making it the fourth best-selling brand. It was also the second top-seller of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs), accounting for over 55% of sales.
The EV3 remained the best-selling retail EV in the UK last month. Including the EV6, three-row EV9, and Niro EV, electric vehicles represented 21% of Kia’s UK sales in March.
Kia said the EV3 “started with a bang” in January, darting out as the UK’s most popular EV in retail sales. Through March, Kia’s electric SUV has held on to the crown. With the EV3 rolling out, Kia sold over 7,000 electric cars through March, nearly 50% more than in Q1 2024.
The EV3 was the best-selling retail EV in the UK in the first quarter and the fourth best-selling EV overall, including commercial vehicles.
Starting at £33,005 ($42,500), Kia said it’s the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” It’s available with two battery packs, 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, good for 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles) of WLTP range, respectively.
With new EVs on the way, this could be just the start. Kia is launching several new EVs in the UK this year, including the EV4 sedan (and hatchback) and EV5 SUV. It also confirmed that the first PV5 electric vans will be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
Electrek’s Take
Globally, Kia sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first quarter, its best since it started selling cars in 1962. With the new EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback, launching this year, Kia looks to build on its momentum in 2025.
Kia has also made it very clear that it wants to be a global leader in the electric van market with its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business, starting with the PV5 later this year.
Earlier today, we learned Kia’s midsize electric SUV, the EV5, is the fourth best-selling EV in Australia through March, outselling every BYD vehicle (at least for now). The EV5 is rolling out to new markets this year, including Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Mexico. However, it will not arrive in the US.
For those in the US, there are still a few Kia EVs to look forward to. Kia is launching the EV4 globally, including in the US, later this year. Although no date has been set, Kia confirmed the EV3 is also coming. It’s expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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