Discussion with Lucid

[Bill55]

I was fortunate enough to talk to a pretty high level Lucid executive today. It was an off the record discussion so no names. We discussed some of the issues that detract from the Air being the best Luxury car. They are of course aware of many of the issues. I don’t think I can overstate how concerned Lucid is with the customer experience being excellent in every way. The passion conveyed and the interest in small details that impact the Lucid experience, I am very convinced the software will get to the level of the hardware. I can’t say how long that might take, but I’ve no doubt the desire and intention are there. I’m really looking forward to a cross country trip where these items that are highly annoying fade into the background. I will continue to present my experiences without prejudice. When it is great I’ll say it is great and when its awful, I’ll call it awful. I’ll do my best to document it factually so you can make your own determination.

 

[stealthpilot]

Good to hear they are reaching out and taking ownership. I hope they can move quickly on the things which should be standard though. ADAS, Carplay, working keys and locks.

 

[HC_79]

I just don’t know what they were doing in the last 6 months the car was delayed for them to be in this bad a shape upon launch. It totally negates Peters comments about Tesla and how they’re going to get it right at the beginning and makes him look foolish now he’s remaining silent on the issues.

Lucid has brought this customer scrutiny on themselves by throwing comments about Tesla and Mercedes and how they’ll do it better.

Im sure they’ll get the issues fixed and these are just teething issues but they’re not focused on the customer experience (yet) because they left their customers in the dark on what was going on with deliveries. It’s concerning that they’re struggling to communicate with 520 customers let alone the upcoming 17,000+ that have reservations.

How many times has Diess said they need to get better at software within VW? Too many over the years and to date they’re still struggling with software 3 to 5 years in with him saying “we need to get better at software”

Execs words to me these days mean nothing. Words are words they’re not actions. In other words, less words….. more action Lucid!

 

[hydbob]

I was fortunate enough to talk to a pretty high level Lucid executive today. It was an off the record discussion so no names. We discussed some of the issues that detract from the Air being the best Luxury car. They are of course aware of many of the issues. I don’t think I can overstate how concerned Lucid is with the customer experience being excellent in every way. The passion conveyed and the interest in small details that impact the Lucid experience, I am very convinced the software will get to the level of the hardware. I can’t say how long that might take, but I’ve no doubt the desire and intention are there. I’m really looking forward to a cross country trip where these items that are highly annoying fade into the background. I will continue to present my experiences without prejudice. When it is great I’ll say it is great and when its awful, I’ll call it awful. I’ll do my best to document it factually so you can make your own determination.

Was this something you requested or did they reach out to you voluntarily?

 

[Bill55]

I have a connection outside of being an owner. I asked someone to reach out to Lucid. This discussion did not happen because I am an owner. The concern was in my opinion very genuine. I did discuss how Lucid is attracting people like me and some of the others on this site who are not EV enthusiasts, but car enthusiasts. That got a very positive response. I think the number of Tesla owners who are very interested in Lucid surprises me and also indicates there is definitely room for Lucid in the market place.

 

[Easyrider949]

I’m happy to hear they are listening to constructive feedback and do recognize the importance of the customer experience from all touch points. However, the proof is in their actions to deliver quickly (reasonable time) to resolve current problems and to deliver advertised functionality. I hope all the problems can be fixed via OTA and are not hardware problem. I still wish they had Satellite radio capabilities to over come weak or nonexistent cell service still in many locations outside of big cities. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bill55]

I’m happy to hear they are listening to constructive feedback and do recognize the importance of the customer experience from all touch points. However, the proof is in their actions to deliver quickly (reasonable time) to resolve current problems and to deliver advertised functionality. I hope all the problems can be fixed via OTA and are not hardware problem. I still wish they had Satellite radio capabilities to over come weak or nonexistent cell service still in many locations outside of big cities. Just my 2 cents.

Yes. The details are hard. I’m planning on moving out of CA to a much smaller market. Certainly the road to hell is paved in good intentions.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

I’m happy to hear they are listening to constructive feedback and do recognize the importance of the customer experience from all touch points. However, the proof is in their actions to deliver quickly (reasonable time) to resolve current problems and to deliver advertised functionality. I hope all the problems can be fixed via OTA and are not hardware problem. I still wish they had Satellite radio capabilities to over come weak or nonexistent cell service still in many locations outside of big cities. Just my 2 cents.

I agree to me this was a great opportunity lost. Satellite data is still in its infancy but it is still better than nothing in areas where cell coverage is bad or doesn't exist like you stated. Someone can correct me if I am wrong but it looks as if the Navigation is dependent on an active LTE connection? I am not sure how much is buffered into memory but travelling across a desert that both @Bill55 and I are both planning could be risky. Even my 2014 Tundra has a built in map database.

I am glad Lucid is listening and reading this forum. The boot time is very long and I get the impression the start up headlight display just adds to it. Software changes should fix boot sequences and should have things still running in hibernation. I think as end users we should be given more control over these things. No need to have car go into deep sleep if I am a daily driver, travelling I need every kWh.

As an audiophile I found it interesting that the choice was made not to have USB connectivity, but I was told this would be added in an update. 96khz 24-bit and DSD files and multi-channel files cannot be played over Bluetooth. Hopefully, the hardware choices will allow this. I'm looking forward to my Astell & Kern playing Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" in my Lucid AGT.

 

[CLTGT]

Yep, I am not an EV guy. I am a car guy, first and foremost. Satellite radio is a big thing for me as that is just about all we listen to in all of my cars. I can even get it in my 1968 and 1973 Mustangs. I can't for the life of me figure out why that is not offered. Every other car offers it.

It is nice that they appear to be genuinely concerned, but there is a timeline that they need to beat before they earn an undesirable reputation. My general opinion of Tesla is that the fit and finish is poor and it is the reason I did not even consider the product. That perception may be wrong, but perception is reality and, at some point, I think Tesla may have earned that perception. Lucid has a limited amount of time before it earns its' general perception and they do not want it to be "great driving car, but nothing else works".

They aren't really earning high marks for PR now either. PR 101 is "control the narrative", do not let it control you. No communication is 10 times worse than communicating bad news and controlling the spin.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

No one will fault Lucid for issues related to supply chain. They will be faulted for not telling people who have paid in full exactly why they don't have their car. If software issues are related to a change due to a change in chip, just say that.

 

[hydbob]

Is there anyone these days who isn't using supply chain as an excuse? Oh yea...Lucid...it's just the reality of the world economy right now, and it won't change anytime soon.

 

[CLTGT]

They will be held accountable for supply chain issues eventually. At some point, management has to take those issues into consideration. It is a short-term excuse, not a long-term trait. Again, more communication is better than less...or none at all.

 

[hmp10]

My general opinion of Tesla is that the fit and finish is poor and it is the reason I did not even consider the product. That perception may be wrong, but perception is reality and, at some point, I think Tesla may have earned that perception.

Your perception is not wrong. We traded a 2015 Tesla Model S P90D for a 2021 Model S Plaid. If anything, the fit and finish got sloppier over the six years. The fit and finish of our Lucid is much better. It's the Lucid software that absolutely sucks right now.

 

[CLTGT]

I was just talking to a lady at Cardiac rehab this morning who ordered a new Tesla S, not Plaid. She ordered it in October and is hoping to get it in June. She also said they just called her and told her they had a Plaid available, but that is not what she wants.

 

[HC_79]

Your perception is not wrong. We traded a 2015 Tesla Model S P90D for a 2021 Model S Plaid. If anything, the fit and finish got sloppier over the six years. The fit and finish of our Lucid is much better. It's the Lucid software that absolutely sucks right now.

Tesla's approach seems to be send it out with issues and if someone complains then we'll fix it afterwards. I've been in multiple Tesla's and it's just hit and miss when it comes to the quality. There whole business model is quick and dirty, fix it later which I don't really align with.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

...seems to be send it out with issues and fix it later...

Microsoft Windows

 

[Swiftse3]

I think this is pretty old now, but some of it is pretty close to the mark

If Microsoft Made Cars

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

I think this is pretty old now, but some of it is pretty close to the mark

If Microsoft Made Cars