Engineering Explained - Lucid Responded

[SaaSManKS]

I recently sold a 2016 Mercedes before getting my Gravity. When driving newer Mercedes, there is very little difference with regards to drivetrain hardware, interior features, etc. between new cars and my 10 year old one. The two biggest improvements have been with regards to infotainment (much larger screens that are touch controlled) and better ADAS. With the Gravity, I do not expect big improvements in drivetrain, suspension, luxury features, etc. over the next 6-8 years. What will most likely improve is ADAS and Infotainment capabilities. I understand that these will improve via software OTAs over time but eventually, they will be limited by processing power. Customer paid chip upgrade options would be nice but not expected.

With regard to the cell connectivity subscription charge, you have to realize that all of this car connected wizardry it dependent on connection to the internet. Relying on doing that via a Bluetooth connection to your phone is not going to work. The car needs it’s own designated connection.

Thank god they built them with LTE!

 

[illopp00]

A few thoughts:
* It’s disappointing to me that these plans were only publicized as the result of his largely negative review. Lucid should have made owners aware of this roadmap regardless, not as the result of feeling compelled to address an almost viral negative review.

* Similarly the need for the new chip for UX3 on older cars should have been made clear by Lucid when the chip was introduced. There was conjecture here as to any ‘hidden’ need the chip might have in future developments, but it was just that, conjecture. Since I’m skeptical that the new UX will be released on time and I’m not even 100% sure I’ll still own the car by then, I’ll still hold off on the $1,000 upgrade. I’m perfectly fine with the current speed of different aspects of the software, so that’s not a selling point for me.

* The premise that the car would supply enough power for his house for 4+ days is predicated on a full charge. This is simply not reasonable. Very few people will have a full charge coincidentally upon the loss of home power. The overwhelming majority of people like myself only charge to 80% and many don’t do so on a daily basis. Further, having an 80% charge is only a reasonable assumption if you do charge on a daily basis and haven’t driven since your last charge when the power outage occurs. This is not to say the feature isn’t desirable, but expectations about how long a house can be powered should be tempered with realistic expectations.

* I had similar cupholder issues with my Jaguar I-Pace, but found that taping the little rubber protrusions to the side solved the problem.

Yes but you could easily power essentials : a couple lights, router/cable modem, maybe a space heater, the fridge on 20 kwhr for a couple days. The Gravity has 3 x 1.8 kw outlets that I can just plug stuff into without all the extra equipment.

 

[Bdr100]

Thank god they built them with LTE!

That 2016 Mercedes had 3G connectivity even though 4G LTE had been available for over 5 years. That 3G connection went dead when cell companies shut it down in 2022 and the Mercedes became a dumb non-connected car. Very poor future proofing.

Fortunately it looks like Lucid uses a combination of LTE and 5G. Makes since when you are out in the boonies, LTE may be only option but also having 5G will future proof car well into the 2030s.

 

[Lucken]

The Tesla model 3 hardware update was 2.5k.

$995 for Ccv2 is perfectly reasonable and cheap!

And if you thought software driven cars never need hardware updates, you are wrong. They are computers on wheels.

Be glad they are offering an update instead of one having to buy a new model year.

I never said the hardware update price was unreasonable.

I never said that software driven cars never ‘needed’ hardware updates. Our definition of ‘need’ may be different. I did say that I didn’t need it at this time. IF I still own the car by the time the new UX is released and IF I think the new UX is something worthwhile to me in its iteration in my 23 Air, then I’ll get the new chip.

Of course in my ownership tenure of a Tesla MS, Jaguar I-Pace, Audi eTron, Genesis electrified G8, BMW i4, BMW i5 and Lucid Air, only the Tesla & Lucid offered a hardware update.

I certainly wouldn’t have bought a new model year solely for a new UX because I don’t ‘need’ it that badly.

 

[Lucken]

Yes but you could easily power essentials : a couple lights, router/cable modem, maybe a space heater, the fridge on 20 kwhr for a couple days. The Gravity has 3 x 1.8 kw outlets that I can just plug stuff into without all the extra equipment.

Yes, that is absolutely reasonable. The situation I suggested was simply something that could occur.

 

[SaaSManKS]

That 2016 Mercedes had 3G connectivity even though 4G LTE had been available for over 5 years. That 3G connection went dead when cell companies shut it down in 2022 and the Mercedes became a dumb non-connected car. Very poor future proofing.

Fortunately it looks like Lucid uses a combination of LTE and 5G. Makes since when you are out in the boonies, LTE may be only option but also having 5G will future proof car well into the 2030s.

it's purely LTE, no 5G this has been confirmed.

 

[socktucker]

certainly wouldn’t have bought a new model year solely for a new UX because I don’t ‘need’ it that badly

The air UX is not that bad. Missing a few features but it’s not abysmal by any means. I like Teslas version of Apple Music better than CarPlay, but it also has weird limitations.

I’m excited for 3.0 and I’d pay the $1000 upgrade if I needed to. That is CHEAP. You can’t get anything like that from any other manufacturer for that price. Tesla was $2500 or more if I recall.

 

[idiot900]

The air UX is not that bad. Missing a few features but it’s not abysmal by any means. I like Teslas version of Apple Music better than CarPlay, but it also has weird limitations.

I’m excited for 3.0 and I’d pay the $1000 upgrade if I needed to. That is CHEAP. You can’t get anything like that from any other manufacturer for that price. Tesla was $2500 or more if I recall.

Yeah, pretty much UX 2 just needs bug fixes; the end user experience is not too bad for a car. I'm guessing they paid back a lot of technical debt with UX 3 and no longer want to maintain UX 2, so they'll EOL it soon after UX 3 is introduced.

 

[Saksak]

Yes but you could easily power essentials : a couple lights, router/cable modem, maybe a space heater, the fridge on 20 kwhr for a couple days. The Gravity has 3 x 1.8 kw outlets that I can just plug stuff into without all the extra equipment.

I’ve already tested pugging in our fridge and dedicated freeze into the power outlets of my Gravity. Works like a charm and this is my current backup for our frequent power outages in the greater SF Bay Area.

I’m still planning on V2H. It seems silly to suffer through an outage without lights, heat, AC, etc. when I’ve got this huge battery that’s multiple times bigger than the standard home solar/battery setup. Also, Solar+batteries is generally not enough for extended outages.

 

[Lucken]

I know it’s off topic, but I’ve noticed lately that I’m not getting the ‘no or slow internet’. As a result I’m no longer losing SXM. I’m not sure if that was the result of one of the recent updates, but it eliminates the only ongoing issue that bugged me.

 

[socktucker]

I know it’s off topic, but I’ve noticed lately that I’m not getting the ‘no or slow internet’. As a result I’m no longer losing SXM. I’m not sure if that was the result of one of the recent updates, but it eliminates the only ongoing issue that bugged me.

Funny you mention that, I haven’t either!