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Cadillac Lyriq EV Could Offer More Than 300 Miles Of Range

The Cadillac Lyriq may be offered with more than 300 miles of driving range if a recent teaser image released by General Motors is any indication.

GM released a rendering this week showing the layout for the Lyriq’s 33-inch widescreen OLED display. On the screen are a bar and a number indicating the current charge percentage and predicted range. With 24% of the battery left, the Lyriq display indicated the vehicle had a remaining range of 76 miles. Using this information, we can conclude the range of the vehicle when charged to 100% would be 316 miles.

This should probably be taken with a mound of salt, as this image is computer generated and not a screenshot of the display in a production-ready Cadillac Lyriq. There are also numerous factors that tie into an EV’s predicted range, including driving style, average speed and payload, just to name a few. Furthermore, it’s possible the Lyriq will be offered with numerous motor configurations (dual-motor AWD, single-motor RWD, etc.) and different sized batteries, which would also impact the vehicle’s overall range.

That said, 316 miles would be a good benchmark for Cadillac to target with the Lyriq. The Tesla Model Y compact crossover, which was released earlier this year, has an EPA estimated range of 315 miles. The larger Tesla Model X, meanwhile, has an EPA estimated range of 325 miles. This would place the Lyriq in the same realm as Tesla with regard to EV range – something many automakers have so far found difficult to do with their own electric crossovers.

We know GM has the battery technology to make this happen, too. The automaker’s new Ultium battery packs will range in size from 50 kWh to 200 kWh and will provide a maximum driving range of up to 400 miles in certain vehicles. The Model Y has a 75-kWh battery, while the Model X has a 100-kWh lithium-ion pack.

The exterior appearance of the Cadillac Lyriq was first teased in a series of official renderings released at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show and GM has also released teasers more recently showing its side profile and front fascia. The screen layout rendering referenced earlier in this article also provided us with a look at the vehicle’s rear end, with an animation of the Lyriq of the appearing on the screen as a blind-spot monitor.

The Cadillac Lyriq’s name was inspired by the many references to the Cadillac brand found in different mainstream music lyrics. The name is the first in a series of new Cadillac names that will end in “-iq” and will eventually be joined by “Celestiq,” which is the name given to Cadillac’s upcoming full-size electric sedan. Both the Lyriq and the Celestiq will utilize GM’s new BEV3 dedicated electric architecture.

The Cadillac Lyriq will make its official debut during an online live stream on August 6th.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. If Cadillac cannot beat TESLA in range, this pack up shop Cadillac – perhaps you can be an inclusive, gender less coffee station. Mary Bara’s dream.

    Reply
    1. It’s not all about beating Tesla in range. Tesla vehicles offer limited rear head room and riders sit lower to the ground. That gives great aerodynamics, but less comfort. Additionally Tesla has had questionable fires that vehicles like the Volt and Bolt EV haven’t had.

      So I think it’s important to get in the range of Tesla, but not necessarily beat them, especially if you’re battery is safer, is packaged better (better interior layout) and is more modular. Tesla normally offers 1-2 pack sizes and just software limits its ability. That’s only necessary because their packs aren’t very modular and it would be costly to have many variations on capacity.

      Reply
      1. My Brother is 6’1 and sometimes has to sit in the Back of my Model 3…has plenty of space.
        The Model Y which will compete with the Lyriq has much more interior volume.

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    2. Nobody wants Cadillacs. Not now, not in ten years. GM has failed again. This is not an aspiring brand.

      Reply
      1. I’m an owner of a Cadillac and a Volt (killed by GM as being over-engineered). I totally agree with you. I’m switching brands.

        Reply
        1. I highly doubt you’ve had either brand.

          Reply
  2. Here are the points GM has made.

    300 plus miles is required.

    Getting battery cost down below $100 per watt

    And finally making the vehicles so they make money and continue to drive down cost.

    With the improved batteries and a move to higher end vehicles first will accomplish all this and leave us with cheaper batteries to make the lower end cars affordable and profitable.

    GM like everyone else thought the $35k Ev car was where to start. But Tesla did prove people would over pay for a more high end car.

    GM made the move to do the same starting with the Hummer and Cadillac then moving to the other brands.

    The real key GM will have over Tesla is they will be able to reduce cost faster and make these models profitable due to their infrastructure. Also GM will pay the bills with truck and CUV sales during this time. GM will pay dividends while Tesla is paying to build plants and scraping up development money to pay for delayed models.

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  3. Here are my thoughts. GM showed on EV day that they had three module configurations (24 – large, 16- medium and 12 cells – small). The battery they showed for BEV3 could fit 12 of these modules. The battery cell is a 100Ah NCMA cell with a nominal cell voltage of 3.7VDC (370Wh per cell). If they use 12 of the 24 cell modules in the Lyriq that would generate a gross battery capacity of 106KWh [3P-96S configuration] (likely a net closer to 100KWh). The 16 cell modules would net a gross battery capacity of 71KWh [2P-96S configuration] (with a net ~67KWh).

    The Lyriq appears to be bigger than the Model Y but likely a bit smaller than the Model X. My guess is two battery sizes offered. EPA range of 330 miles for the big (100KWh) battery and 230 miles for the [67KWh] smaller battery.

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  4. They had better be targeting 400 miles of range. 300 is the bare minimum for a Chevy class vehicle, a Cadillac needs to have at least 400 miles. The Model S is already over 400 miles, by the time the Lyriq ships the S will have gotten a new battery pack that will put it over 500. The Mercedes EQS will also be over 400.

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  5. . . . and the length of time required to charge the batteries at the 300 mile point will be . . . ?

    Montana Bob

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    1. Lyriq will have a maximum charge rate of 200KW. So an 80% charge in the Lyriq will likely run close to 30mins for DC fast charging.

      Reply
    2. Charging a Tesla from 0 to 100% (which you would never ever do) takes about 7 hours at home, your car sits in your driveway or garage for at least 12 hours a day so it’s a non-problem. For typical daily usage it takes about an hour and a half at home. For road trips you generally need to add about 100 miles of range per stop which take 10 to 15 minutes depending on your state of charge, enough time to go to the bathroom. Cadillac will be depending on the Electrify America chargers which can deliver up to 300 KW which is even more than Tesla Supercharger V3s. If they put in decent charging support, i.e 250KW or better (the Taycan is 270), they will be able to charge as fast as a Tesla. If they cheap out, as GM did with the Bolt which can only handle 50KW, then they will have a lemon on their hands.

      Reply
  6. Everyone seems excited by a 300 mile range; however, what it means to me is that a trip between my homes in Kentucky and Florida that now takes one day will take three days, two nights in a hotel and associated expenses. I hope they sell plenty of them, but it’s not for me. I’ve driven Cadillac for 40 years but this all electric idea will force me into another brand for sure.

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    1. I’m with ya, Bill. When I’m on the road, I wanna burn miles and a 30 minute stop every 250 or so miles ain’t my cup a tea. I can’t see myself with an electric car either.

      As an aside, driving one, to me, is akin to sitting in a barbecue, what with a floor pan full of nearly explosive lithium batteries with a propensity to catch fire.

      Montana Bob

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      1. Lithium batteries are 10 time less likely to catch fire than a gas tank. The only reason that you’ve heard about battery fires is because they are so rare that they make the news. Gasoline fires are so common that they aren’t newsworthy, there are 150 gas vehicle fires/day.

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    2. I’ve driven my 238 mile 10-70% charge in 40 mins Bolt EV from Ontario, Canada to Orlando, Florida in ~30 hours (drive and charging time). I’ve done Kentucky to Florida in one day. The Lyriq will be able to go ~100 miles farther on a charge and charge more than twice as fast. Will be a very easy journey to make in an EV like this.

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      1. Last year before Covid we did 300-450 mile roadtrips every Saturday in my Tesla Model 3. The Model 3 has a 250KW charger, vs 50KW in the Bolt, although in New England the Superchargers are still 150KW V2s. Our trips required a single 10-15 minute charging stop which we combined with bathroom breaks. The frequency of stops is determined by bladder size not battery size, when I had a gas car we made just as many gas station stops as we make Supercharger stops. Supercharger stops are actually more efficient because you charge and pee in parallel, i.e. you plug in, go to the bathroom, if they have a Duncan Donuts you get a French Cruller and then you unplug and leave. At a gas station you have to fuel the car first and then move it before you go to the bathroom.

        One thing that people who have never driven an EV don’t understand is that you don’t top an EV up, you only add enough range to get home or to your next stop, usually about 100 miles. With gas cars you always fill the tank which minimizes your time at gas stations. With EVs you charge them at home and only use fast chargers to extend your range. Because you are only adding a 100 miles, or a bit more, the time it takes is only 10 to 15 minutes which is just enough to go to the bathroom.

        On multiday trips you try an pick hotels that have chargers, many do. We went to Quebec from MA last year, on the way up we stopped mid way in NH, charged and had lunch, we then drove to our hotel in Sherbrooke which had both Tesla EVSEs and J1772s. After Sherbrooke we went to Montreal. that hotel also had Tesla and J1772 EVSEs, as a result we did no Supercharging when we were in Canada. On the way home we stopped in Vermont to Supercharge and have lunch, spent the day driving around Vermont and then went home. We stopped to Supercharge in NH but that’s because that rest stop is where we always stop to go to the bathroom. We didn’t need to add any miles but we did anyway because we were there.

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        1. Josh,

          If my trip exceeds a couple of thousand miles, what then?

          In my case, when I travel, I stop for the night when I am too tired to drive, which generally exceeds 800 miles. I surer ‘n heck don’t want to complicate things by having to search for a hotel with a charging station after driving that distance.

          Something that I’ve not mentioned yet: **In my opinion** all of this talk of electric vehicles being easy on the environment is hogwash. By switching to electricity as a fuel, all that is accomplished is to burn the fuel at the facility where the electrical energy is produced, rather than purchasing the energy at a gas station. In most cases that electrical energy is produced by natural gas, a fossil fuel. Yes, we already have electricity produced by damming rivers but the greenies want those removed. Another option is wind-produced but nobody wants those noisy, 300 foot tall structures in their area. Think NIMBY, Not In My Back Yard.

          Again, just my opinion, but we are a very long way off from practical electrically-driven vehicles in the mainstream. Mary Bara sure wants us to believe that that’s where most of us want to go, but, from what I see, she is sadly mistaken.

          Let the flaming begin!

          Montana Bob

          Reply
          1. Nobody said Cadillac isn’t making gas anymore, I wouldn’t buy a EV for long trips but EVs shines in city commuting and it isn’t wise to have no EVs at this point.

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          2. Bob,
            I’ve been looking forward to doing a coast to coast trip in my Model 3, would have done it this year but then Covid happened, hopefully there will be a vaccine in Q1 and we can do it next year. The current state of the charging networks is as follows, Tesla has the US and Canada well covered, you can take any path coast to coast in the US or along the Trans Canada highway without any worries. The CCS networks are more of a hodgepodge. The CCS network that’s doing the most to emulate Tesla’s Supercharger network is Electrify America which was funded by VW as penance for dieselgate. EA has just finished their first coast to coast path but they still have a ways to go to catch up to Tesla, by the time the Lyriq actually ships their coverage should be pretty close to what Tesla has today. The most important characteristics for a charging network is redundancy, Tesla has always had that, I’ve never seen a Supercharger with less that eight plugs and in busy places such as CA they are much larger than that. The reason for redundancy is that you need to be assured that when you arrive at a charger you will be able to charge even if some of the chargers are broken. EA is building all of their charge stations with multiple plugs so like Tesla you will be able to count on them. You don’t have to count on hotel charge because the charging network is good enough but it is more convenient. When I travel I use Plugshare, A Better Route Planner and Tesla’s Route Planner to tell me which hotels at my destination have chargers and I give them preference, those are all available both as websites and as apps.

            I didn’t go electric because I’m a tree hugger, I did it because the overall experience is vastly better. My first EV was the Chevy Volt which I chose over an Audi A4 because even though the Volt is based on the feeble Chevy Cruise with an electric drivetrain it was vastly better than the $50K turbo charged Audi. My previous car was a Chrysler 300C which had a 5.7L Hemi that got 14MPG. I wasn’t looking for an EV when the 300C fell apart, I wasn’t even aware of them. But after I test drove the 2016 300, which was a far worse car than the 2006 I was replacing because of the awful 8 speed transmission, I went across the street to the Chevy dealer, almost walked out because Chevy doesn’t make AWD cars, but then I noticed the Volt and decided to give it a try. As soon as I put my foot down I knew that it was all over for the internal combustion engine. The Volt accelerated instantly and silently, and importantly there were no annoying gear changes because EVs don’t have transmissions in the traditional sense. After the Volt I test drove a number of other cars including a Cadillac and an Audi, of those only the Audi was acceptable, probably due to the fact that they were using an older 5 speed transmission. But at the end of the day the Volt was better than all of them.

            After I got the Volt I started to keep an eye on the Tesla Supercharger network to see when it would be possible to go to all of our usual places which for us are the New England states, MA, RI, NH, VT and ME, as well as eastern Canada. A year ago I determined that there was no place in New England that didn’t have coverage, that Quebec had good coverage and that they had planned Superchargers in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. At that point I got a Model 3 AWD. The performance and handling of the 3 is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Electric motors have instant torque which means that all of them are quick, but Tesla maximizes this. The regular AWD, which is what I bought, is 0-60 in 4.4 seconds with a top speed of 145MPH. For a few thousand more the Performance version is 0-60 in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 162 MPH. I get dizzy if I floor my 3 so there is no chance that there will be a Performance edition version in my future. The other thing is the handling. Proper EVs, i.e. those that are designed as EVs from the ground up as opposed to EVs that share a chassis with an ICE, have their battery packs under the floor which gives them an incredibly low center of gravity. As a result they stick to the road like glue. Please go test drive a Tesla and you’ll see what I mean, they are just more fun than you can imagine.

            Even though Tesla does a lot of virtue signaling about how clean their cars are the thing that they figured out from the get go was that nobody gets excited about eco cars. While GM, and every other legacy maker, aimed their EVs at the Prius, Tesla aimed theirs at BMW. Tesla’s have better performance than BMWs with the fuel costs of a Prius, and if you are on the coasts the virtual tail pipe emission of a 130 MPG car. It’s the BMW part of the equation that sells the cars, the other features are just there so that Tesla owners can wag their figures at Prius owners an accuse them of despoiling the environment.

            The legacy automakers have finally caught on to this, that’s why the Hummer and the Lyriq are GM’s next EVs. The Hummer by definition is not aimed at Prius owners. The Hummer was the poster child for gas guzzlers, it got 10MPG. The electric Hummer will be better than the original Hummer in every possible way, it will be quicker, more stable, have better handling , but it will be guilt free because it’s effective tail pipe emissions will be the equivalent of a 75 MPG vehicle and it’s fuel costs will be 1/4th of the ICE Hummer’s.

            Reply
            1. Exactly. I too got the Model 3 not because of the Environment (though it is much better for it than ICE) but for the mere fact that it is by far the absolute best car for the money hands down. Oh and that constant Burst of Speed was a Huge Bonus for me HAHA
              Hopefully Cadillac brings me back to the GM Family. I’m not a CUV guy so hopefully the next CT5 or whatever absolutely stupid “iq” name GM come sup with will be better than the Tesla.

              Reply
  7. Most of the above electrical specs are beyond the electrical education of most people that may be interested in electric vehicle transportation. What I think the customer wants is a safe, reliable,efficient, environmentally friendly, cost effective vehicle that is user friendly, somewhat stylish and reasonably priced; that they can get in their favorite color. They need to know how to plug it in; how to secure the device that charges is so that it doesn’t “grow legs”. ( get stolen by someone who lost or broke theirs). Do they have to park in a certain spot in their driveway to be close to the electric outlet?. Do they need special electrical work done at their residence or work location to be able to plug it in. These are high tech cars and they will be cool but I suggest that the marketing be aimed at the “average Joe and Jane”.

    Reply
    1. If you can plug in a lamp you can plug in an EV, it’s no more complicated than that. Installing an EVSE at home is simple and cheap, any electrician can do it. I have two EVSEs, a ClipperCreek that I got for my Volt and a Tesla Wall Connector that I got for my Tesla. They are both bolted to the side of my house, they aren’t going to grow legs as you put it because they are screwed on and besides they aren’t worth very much. The cost of installing the Tesla Wall Connector was $500 for the device itself and $750 to my electrician who ran a 60A 240V line and hooked up the EVSE. He only charged me $375 for the ClipperCreek because that was part of a bigger job. The paint on a Tesla is a $1000 option unless you want white so installing an EVSE is about the same cost. A well made EVSE should last forever so this is a one time expense. Once you’ve installed one all you need to do to charge your car is to park it and grab the cable and plug it in, takes about 5 seconds. Your car will be fully charged every morning unlike an ICE car which has to be taken to a gas station every week. The only time you use fast chargers is on road trips.

      BTW the reason for the second EVSE is that Tesla has their own plug everybody else uses the J1772 standard. Tesla’s come with a Tesla to J1772 adapter but using an adapter is less convenient than having a native plug and because the cost for installing the Tesla EVSE was so low I spent the money.

      Reply
      1. Yup had my garage wired with two standard stove plugs on 40A circuits. You can purchase many EVSE’s (electric vehicle chargers) with a stove plug. Mount it to the wall. Plug it in and away you go. Easy peasy.

        Reply
      2. The US needs to start spending money on EV infrastructure so we do not fall behind Europe and China.
        For the people that think EV’s ONLY work for home owners, answer me the following question….where do most people in Europe and China live?
        Ye that is right, they live in Huge Apartment Buildings. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE.
        Europe and China have EV Charging in Street Lamps. They are miles ahead of us.
        We need to start right now. It is so easy to convert to BEV’s.
        I am not saying every single vehicle needs to be EV. Example is I am a Huge Ferrari fan. Given the Choice of a Tesla Roadster or a Ferrari, I pick the Ferrari every single time. ICE will become Niche which is fine.

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  8. Maybe it can then again it probably won’t! GM bragging about something before it is available to Consumers!

    Reply
  9. Yes, it is possible. Cadillac industry has a long history and it has the ability.

    Reply
  10. For those currently of ownership of EVs, is the electric bill a bit more expensive or is there hardly any dent depending on the charger installed on the side of the wall of the house? How expensive is rapid charging for road trips? Also, do you plan on getting an ICE vehicle again in the future or you will never look back? Anybody is welcome to respond.

    Reply
    1. The cost is negligible. A Model 3 AWD does a little better than 4 miles/KWh. I pay 21.4 cents/KWh, round that up to 24 cents to account for charging inefficiency and the cost per mile is about 6 cents. Tesla charges 28 cents per KWh at their Superchargers so the cost per mile on the road is about 7 cents per mile. Assume that you do a thousand miles per month, that’s my lifetime average, that would come to 250 KWh or about $60. Plug your own electric rate in to see what it would cost you, the national average is about 13 cents/KWh or about half of what I pay. Some states have time of day charging which can drop your costs way down but even at my rates it’s about what it would cost to put gas in a Prius. BTW when I had a Chevy Volt it’s costs were similar, I could get five miles/KWh in the summer on back roads, in winter it was more like 3 miles.

      Reply
    2. Dear Johnls_39, My cost is 0.12 per kWh so to charge up my Chevy Bolt cost (60kHw x 0.12) $7.20 using the 12A charger that comes with the Bolt. I can go about 238 actual miles on 60kWh. So that is about 0.03 per mile. To fill up my Buick Encore (which I traded in for the Bolt) cost me about $33 for about 280 miles which comes out to 0.12 per mile. Rapid charging for road trips in Nevada is 0 if you use a state owned charging station and they are all within 180 miles of each other. I never plan on getting another ICE car for the rest of my life. I love never having to go to the stinky gas stations. 99% of the time I just charge up at home. Getting into the habit of plugging the car in whenever I get home is very easy, much easier than going to the gas station. When I take road trips I just plan my trip very carefully using PlugShare. And when I do stop for a Fast charge on a long trip I plan to have breakfest or lunch while charging. Easy as pie. I LOVE IT.

      Reply
  11. Are you kidding me? “Could offer more than 300 miles of range”? When the Buick Enspire EV was announced 2 years ago it was said to have a range of 370 miles! The Cadillac Lyriq is suppose to be top-of-the-line so it better have a top-of-the-line base range of 325 miles absolute minimum with upgrade increases from there.

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  12. The Cadillac Lyriq better have over 400 Miles of Range or it will be DOA in my opinion.
    The current Tesla Model X gets a about 355 and it is a much bigger vehicle.The Model Y gets about 320 Miles I believe.
    That is using Teslas current older Battery Tech. Lets all remember that Tesla has announced their Battery Day for September.
    If GM thinks that they will come to Market 10 years later and have less range than the older Tesla Tech and make a dent they are mistaken. GM needs to leapfrog Tesla somehow to have a Shot.

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  13. If GM cant beat Tesla in range, we will hear nothing else from the media! It will be declared another failure for GM! Then GM will come out and say RANGE is not important to there customers…….. Death spiral continues………..

    Reply

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