Final thoughts on my way out the door...

[sg10706]

True Lucid fans can skip this.

I sold my Lucid Air today. I got one fairly early in the process and worked hard to adjust to it and also to work with the company.

For background, I'm firmly in the EV as a stepping stone to do something about the climate camp. I also love their simplicity and performance. I was a very early Prius user, and I've owned two Teslas, the Lucid, a Rivian RT1, a Kia EV6 and my wife has the Ioniq. And I spent a week renting an Audi etron.

Unfortunately, I also have a background in design and marketing, which makes me a bit of a difficult customer when it comes to UI, UX and customer service. When I see things on the dashboard or in their support approach that are clearly ill-conceived or inconsiderate, it's hard for me to justify in a luxury car.

The Lucid can't compare to the Rivian, even though it costs about twice as much. The stereo in the Rivian is dramatically better. The UX is thoughtful, largely bug-free and a delight. The customer service is human, responsive and curious. I would point things out and they'd be addressed in an update a few weeks later. They asked questions and they followed up often.

The Lucid team, on the other hand, is undertrained, underpowered and not particularly eager to take responsibility or improve things--at least that's been my experience in dozens of interactions. The UI is filled with bugs, demonstrating a lack of fit and finish that luxury software has to have. I gave them a three-page list two months ago and was encouraged to wait for the massive update that just happened, and almost none of the design flaws or bugs were addressed.

If you love your Lucid, that's fabulous! If you think it could be better, I agree with you. I hope the company becomes much more proactive in reaching out to customers and learning about what works or what doesn't. It's pretty clear that making a fast EV that doesn't break is simply the cost of entry, and that leadership in design and customer service are going to be crucial for any company that wants to stand out, grow or charge a premium.

Thanks to everyone here for being part of the community and generously sharing enthusiasm and knowledge.

Good luck to all of us!

 

[AZLucidGuy]

True Lucid fans can skip this.

I sold my Lucid Air today. I got one fairly early in the process and worked hard to adjust to it and also to work with the company.

For background, I'm firmly in the EV as a stepping stone to do something about the climate camp. I also love their simplicity and performance. I was a very early Prius user, and I've owned two Teslas, the Lucid, a Rivian RT1, a Kia EV6 and my wife has the Ioniq. And I spent a week renting an Audi etron.

Unfortunately, I also have a background in design and marketing, which makes me a bit of a difficult customer when it comes to UI, UX and customer service. When I see things on the dashboard or in their support approach that are clearly ill-conceived or inconsiderate, it's hard for me to justify in a luxury car.

The Lucid can't compare to the Rivian, even though it costs about twice as much. The stereo in the Rivian is dramatically better. The UX is thoughtful, largely bug-free and a delight. The customer service is human, responsive and curious. I would point things out and they'd be addressed in an update a few weeks later. They asked questions and they followed up often.

The Lucid team, on the other hand, is undertrained, underpowered and not particularly eager to take responsibility or improve things--at least that's been my experience in dozens of interactions. The UI is filled with bugs, demonstrating a lack of fit and finish that luxury software has to have. I gave them a three-page list two months ago and was encouraged to wait for the massive update that just happened, and almost none of the design flaws or bugs were addressed.

If you love your Lucid, that's fabulous! If you think it could be better, I agree with you. I hope the company becomes much more proactive in reaching out to customers and learning about what works or what doesn't. It's pretty clear that making a fast EV that doesn't break is simply the cost of entry, and that leadership in design and customer service are going to be crucial for any company that wants to stand out, grow or charge a premium.

Thanks to everyone here for being part of the community and generously sharing enthusiasm and knowledge.

Good luck to all of us!

Would you share the three-page list? I am curious as to the items on your punch list that were NOT addressed by the 2.0.X update. Thank you!

 

[CLTGT]

Wow, three pages of stuff with only 250 miles on the car. Do you mind sharing that list? Please feel free to send me a DM if you will. I consider myself a somewhat picky person, so I would love to know what I am missing or overlooking. How did you get one "fairly early in the process" and only have 250 miles on it? I am not being sarcastic or critical. I got mine "fairly early in the process" (at least for a Quantum Gray), work from home, had the car in service for a week, had the car at the body shop for a month, and still have over 2500 miles on the car.

 

[HC_79]

Lucid and Rivian are two different markets. America loves trucks and has played well into Rivian's business model. I do question whether Lucid would have been better off to go with the SUV first over the sedan given the US is the first launch country. I know many will say sedans do better outside the US but if your launch country is the US then maybe tailor to it and go with the SUV first. Having said this, the development may have been too far along on the sedan when it was realized by all automakers that it's just not selling as much anymore.

Supply chain \ Production issues aside it does seem alot of Lucids woes have come from not having enough staff. I believe they're around 5000 strong where Rivian was about 13,000 strong in its prime so whilst it's not an excuse for buggy software it does potentially show why Rivian got it more fine tuned out the gate than Lucid. For now, this means having alot of patience while they manage to rectify things and continue steering the ship in the right direction. Some people are fine with it and like yourself, some people aren't but this was the risk we all took when buying into a new car company.

I agree, they do have room to improve and hope that they succeed. Time will tell if people will get on the Lucid bandwagon or not. It has nowhere near the brand recognition that Rivian has and at the price point and current economy Lucid may have a tough road ahead to succeed. For now, i'm still sticking with them but like yourself, a little disappointed in how they released the car and communication struggles within the company.

 

[joec]

Lucid and Rivian are two different markets. America loves trucks and has played well into Rivian's business model. I do question whether Lucid would have been better off to go with the SUV first over the sedan given the US is the first launch country. I know many will say sedans do better outside the US but if your launch country is the US then maybe tailor to it and go with the SUV first. Having said this, the development may have been too far along on the sedan when it was realized by all automakers that it's just not selling as much anymore.

Supply chain \ Production issues aside it does seem alot of Lucids woes have come from not having enough staff. I believe they're around 5000 strong where Rivian was about 13,000 strong in its prime so whilst it's not an excuse for buggy software it does potentially show why Rivian got it more fine tuned out the gate than Lucid. For now, this means having alot of patience while they manage to rectify things and continue steering the ship in the right direction. Some people are fine with it and like yourself, some people aren't but this was the risk we all took when buying into a new car company.

I agree, they do have room to improve and hope that they succeed. Time will tell if people will get on the Lucid bandwagon or not. It has nowhere near the brand recognition that Rivian has and at the price point and current economy Lucid may have a tough road ahead to succeed. For now, i'm still sticking with them but like yourself, a little disappointed in how they released the car and communication struggles within the company.

I can tell you if Lucid had gone SUV for their first model, I never would have considered them an option. I think being the only true EV company out there offering a luxury sedan of any sort other than Tesla (and the Model S is questionable as far as luxury goes) is a major differentiating factor for them. If they had started with SUV, sure bigger addressable market. But also tons more competition. Especially at the price point, which was non-negotiable for a new car company. They had to start expensive and work their way down.

Having said all that, obviously things could be going better for them. I have confidence they will get things figured out, but it's been a bit of a rough start. But I get why others are losing patience.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

I can tell you if Lucid had gone SUV for their first model, I never would have considered them an option. I think being the only true EV company out there offering a luxury sedan of any sort other than Tesla (and the Model S is questionable as far as luxury goes) is a major differentiating factor for them. If they had started with SUV, sure bigger addressable market. But also tons more competition. Especially at the price point, which was non-negotiable for a new car company. They had to start expensive and work their way down.

Having said all that, obviously things could be going better for them. I have confidence they will get things figured out, but it's been a bit of a rough start. But I get why others are losing patience.

I agree that the launch model correctly was an upscale sedan. I am curious to learn more about the Gravity SUV. Based upon the teaser video released by Lucid, I am concerned that it may be too expensive and not sell in volume. Hopefully, Lucid will have a wide range of Gravity trims from an expensive Lambroghini Urus crusher to a three row family hauler for under $100K. They need to ship those diverse Gravity trims from launch. Not sell "Dream Editions" for the first year and then ease into more affordable, larger volume trims.

I understand that Lucid could not go high volume with the initial run of Air because they had a small factory and are building out AMP-1 for much higher volume. But with Gravity, they need to leverage that increased factory size and produce a wide range of trims and diverse price points.

 

[GEWC]

So you joined a forum to post complaints about a car you barely drove that you already sold. Got it.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

So you joined a forum to post complaints about a car you barely drove that you already sold. Got it.

I asked him to post the items on his punch list that were not addressing in the 2.0.0X update and so far no response.

 

[sg10706]

When you charge double, all the excuses are hard to make. The secret of luxury goods isn't performance, especially in widespread tech. The Lucid is a luxury car, like a Berkin bag is a luxury purse.

The difference is software. Because luxury leather feels different, and you know you bought something rare. Luxury software has to be higher utility, higher touch, more magic.

Here are some of the bugs I shared, but it's also the UX choices. For example, why does the dashboard spend a third of the space showing you how many miles since you last charged the car? That's just silly. It's not elegant, it's not useful, it's not state of the art. It's lazy.

Anyway, no doubt, some of these bugs are getting ironed out, but not one of them should have shipped in a car that cost double a Rivian...


1. Android app takes 30 seconds to open the trunk or have the car respond to instructions.
2. After I get out of the car, it keeps playing music. Not for a few seconds, but for at least 20 feet away.
3. When I get back into the car, it forgets where it left off, and begins playing at the beginning. Particularly for anything like a podcast or an audiobook, this is no good, but it's also a lack of attention to detail.
4. It doesn't remember my settings for the seat ventilation.
5. Pulling down the screen to see the radio settings is sluggish, to put it kindly. It stops partway through and then figures out how to refresh. It feels like a commodore 64.
6. The contrast and brightness are all wrong. Instead of seeming realistic, it's washed out and too bright.
7. Navigation volume cannot be adjusted.
8. When someone calls the music remains stopped after the call is over.
9. The subwindow on the top right console screen bleeds off the screen when the center console below is showing coordinated information. A bug and it's unreadable.
10. When reversing into a spot, or slowly going in forward, the cameras come on, which is smart. But then, they stay on. Even when I'm driving away.
11. At the parking garage, I left my key with the attendant. When I went to pick up the car, he was unable to open the doors, even though he had the keys in his hand. I also couldn't get it to work. My car had been blocking the car behind it, and they were ready to call a tow truck. A key that doesn’t work isn’t much of a key.
12. When I got into the car, the bluetooth connection to my phone was also lost.

You get the idea.

The car made me feel dumb, not smart.

The real thing that worries me, though, is the attitude.

They're not curious, open, or taking initiative. They never called to follow up, never initiated any interaction, as if they're afraid.

Has anyone here been proactively called by high-ranked tech or leadership folks who are hoping to add a human touch to the ownership process?

 

[Neurio]

Has anyone here been proactively called by high-ranked tech or leadership folks who are hoping to add a human touch to the ownership process?

Ah, so you're like that guy who thought that Peter Rawlinson would actually schedule a meeting with him after he bought a used Dream Edition and they were having issues transferring his ownership to the car/app. Got it...

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

When you charge double, all the excuses are hard to make. The secret of luxury goods isn't performance, especially in widespread tech. The Lucid is a luxury car, like a Berkin bag is a luxury purse.

The difference is software. Because luxury leather feels different, and you know you bought something rare. Luxury software has to be higher utility, higher touch, more magic.

Here are some of the bugs I shared, but it's also the UX choices. For example, why does the dashboard spend a third of the space showing you how many miles since you last charged the car? That's just silly. It's not elegant, it's not useful, it's not state of the art. It's lazy.

Anyway, no doubt, some of these bugs are getting ironed out, but not one of them should have shipped in a car that cost double a Rivian...


1. Android app takes 30 seconds to open the trunk or have the car respond to instructions.
2. After I get out of the car, it keeps playing music. Not for a few seconds, but for at least 20 feet away.
3. When I get back into the car, it forgets where it left off, and begins playing at the beginning. Particularly for anything like a podcast or an audiobook, this is no good, but it's also a lack of attention to detail.
4. It doesn't remember my settings for the seat ventilation.
5. Pulling down the screen to see the radio settings is sluggish, to put it kindly. It stops partway through and then figures out how to refresh. It feels like a commodore 64.
6. The contrast and brightness are all wrong. Instead of seeming realistic, it's washed out and too bright.
7. Navigation volume cannot be adjusted.
8. When someone calls the music remains stopped after the call is over.
9. The subwindow on the top right console screen bleeds off the screen when the center console below is showing coordinated information. A bug and it's unreadable.
10. When reversing into a spot, or slowly going in forward, the cameras come on, which is smart. But then, they stay on. Even when I'm driving away.
11. At the parking garage, I left my key with the attendant. When I went to pick up the car, he was unable to open the doors, even though he had the keys in his hand. I also couldn't get it to work. My car had been blocking the car behind it, and they were ready to call a tow truck. A key that doesn’t work isn’t much of a key.
12. When I got into the car, the bluetooth connection to my phone was also lost.

You get the idea.

The car made me feel dumb, not smart.

The real thing that worries me, though, is the attitude.

They're not curious, open, or taking initiative. They never called to follow up, never initiated any interaction, as if they're afraid.

Has anyone here been proactively called by high-ranked tech or leadership folks who are hoping to add a human touch to the ownership process?

1. Car sleeps, do you want the car always awake? Use Fob
2. See number 1
3. I would like this fixed but not a deal breaker...
4. Why should it?
5. Are you on 2.0.33?
6. This is adjustable, ask for help
7. This is in settings, ask for help
8. See #5
9. I have no idea what you mean
10. It turns off at 17mph, by design
11. Check battery in fob, ask for help
12. I've never had this issue, could be your phone.

Most importantly this ISN'T Lucid, this board has no relationship with company. To have no complaint about handling or performance makes this sound like a troll. Audi e-tron???

 

[Bobby]

This post reminds me of all the people who are posting on Twitter to say “I’m leaving Twitter.”

Many people on this forum, including me, are very pleased with the car. You see, I buy cars to drive them. And this car drives like none other. It’s handling, acceleration, and range are unique combination in the EV world not matched by any of the vehicles you mentioned above.

I have owned many cars from different luxury manufacturers throughout the years and this is by far my favorite. Everything you mentioned is a software issue. Some are valid, others sound like user error. If you look back at EVs, especially Tesla, when they first came out, they all needed some time for the software to mature. That is definitely already happening with Lucid and will continue to happen.

That said, if you have decided to sell your vehicle, I wish you all the best of luck. I just don’t know why you have to yell back into the forum about how much our cars suck on your way out. Just leave and move on with your life.

 

[CLTGT]

Well, I will say, many of those things above work much better for me now. I will also say that some of your concerns above are not really "bugs", per se.. A couple of those items you see as bugs are actually consistent with how my BMW M5 dealt with them. For example, the music kept playing until the car locked or after a set amount of time. My BMW certainly did not remember my seat ventilation settings. Those appear to be "choices" rather than "bugs". They never bothered me nor did they make me feel "dumb". They just were. The radio thing did bother my wife to an extent, but it went off as soon as you locked the car, as it does on the Lucid.

But, different strokes for different folks. I would still like to see what was on the rest of page 1, page 2 and page 3, but maybe you used a very large font...

Oh, and yes, I have been contacted by someone higher up on a couple different occasions. Had you posted some of your perceived shortcomings, you may have gotten some insight. Had you requested a contact higher up, I would, most likely, have DM'd you with that detail as I did for several others here. The service techs also helped me a great deal whenever asked.

I am quite critical of Lucid for certain things. I am no where close to a "fan". Check my comments.

Good luck with your future vehicles.

 

[hydbob]

When you charge double, all the excuses are hard to make. The secret of luxury goods isn't performance, especially in widespread tech. The Lucid is a luxury car, like a Berkin bag is a luxury purse.

The difference is software. Because luxury leather feels different, and you know you bought something rare. Luxury software has to be higher utility, higher touch, more magic.

Here are some of the bugs I shared, but it's also the UX choices. For example, why does the dashboard spend a third of the space showing you how many miles since you last charged the car? That's just silly. It's not elegant, it's not useful, it's not state of the art. It's lazy.

Anyway, no doubt, some of these bugs are getting ironed out, but not one of them should have shipped in a car that cost double a Rivian...


1. Android app takes 30 seconds to open the trunk or have the car respond to instructions.
2. After I get out of the car, it keeps playing music. Not for a few seconds, but for at least 20 feet away.
3. When I get back into the car, it forgets where it left off, and begins playing at the beginning. Particularly for anything like a podcast or an audiobook, this is no good, but it's also a lack of attention to detail.
4. It doesn't remember my settings for the seat ventilation.
5. Pulling down the screen to see the radio settings is sluggish, to put it kindly. It stops partway through and then figures out how to refresh. It feels like a commodore 64.
6. The contrast and brightness are all wrong. Instead of seeming realistic, it's washed out and too bright.
7. Navigation volume cannot be adjusted.
8. When someone calls the music remains stopped after the call is over.
9. The subwindow on the top right console screen bleeds off the screen when the center console below is showing coordinated information. A bug and it's unreadable.
10. When reversing into a spot, or slowly going in forward, the cameras come on, which is smart. But then, they stay on. Even when I'm driving away.
11. At the parking garage, I left my key with the attendant. When I went to pick up the car, he was unable to open the doors, even though he had the keys in his hand. I also couldn't get it to work. My car had been blocking the car behind it, and they were ready to call a tow truck. A key that doesn’t work isn’t much of a key.
12. When I got into the car, the bluetooth connection to my phone was also lost.

You get the idea.

The car made me feel dumb, not smart.

The real thing that worries me, though, is the attitude.

They're not curious, open, or taking initiative. They never called to follow up, never initiated any interaction, as if they're afraid.

Has anyone here been proactively called by high-ranked tech or leadership folks who are hoping to add a human touch to the ownership process?

I've actually been called by members of the team multiple times in my first few months of ownership. Granted I took delivery very early on.

I wish you well on your journey, but I disagree that luxury is software, if that were the case, Tesla would be considered a luxury car. Either way, everyone has their priorities in a car, I hope you find everything you are looking for in a vehicle.

 

[PewPew]

Thanks for putting in your thoughts. I don't think it's fair to dismiss concerns just because someone doesn't have a lot of miles on it. I will agree that the software feels far from luxury, and it absolutely should be considered part of it. The thing that gives me hope is that 2.0 is actually fast. As an engineer myself, I know how hard that is. With a decent foundation, the rest is easier to make happen.

The Model S might not be traditional luxury but the software goes a long way. Some software things that make it feel luxurious compared to the Lucid right now:
Easy entry
rear view mirrors adjusting automatically on reverse
Music volume reduces when I open the door
Voice controls actually work fairly well (for climate / seat heating / navigation)
Automatic preconditioning for charging
Fairly accurate estimates of range

 

[PewPew]

> That said, if you have decided to sell your vehicle, I wish you all the best of luck. I just don’t know why you have to yell back into the forum about how much our cars suck on your way out. Just leave and move on with your life.

Eh. I like knowing about why someone's leaving. This is an owners forum, not a fan club

 

[Shuasha]

He does have a point about the wakeup period in the app, other cars don't have this problem (or have ways to hide/mitigate it). But most of these things are little that can add up a bad experience, but an early adopter should understand they will happen and eventually will be worked out.

 

[hydbob]

He does have a point about the wakeup period in the app, other cars don't have this problem (or have ways to hide/mitigate it). But most of these things are little that can add up a bad experience, but an early adopter should understand they will happen and eventually will be worked out.

I've replied before, but I had the same wait time in my Tesla app from deep sleep i.e. overnight.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

I've replied before, but I had the same wait time in my Tesla app from deep sleep i.e. overnight.

Yes, in deep sleep Tesla has wakeup time as well.

 

[AZLucidGuy]

Thanks for putting in your thoughts. I don't think it's fair to dismiss concerns just because someone doesn't have a lot of miles on it. I will agree that the software feels far from luxury, and it absolutely should be considered part of it. The thing that gives me hope is that 2.0 is actually fast. As an engineer myself, I know how hard that is. With a decent foundation, the rest is easier to make happen.

The Model S might not be traditional luxury but the software goes a long way. Some software things that make it feel luxurious compared to the Lucid right now:
Easy entry
rear view mirrors adjusting automatically on reverse
Music volume reduces when I open the door
Voice controls actually work fairly well (for climate / seat heating / navigation)
Automatic preconditioning for charging
Fairly accurate estimates of range

Agreed Lucid does have more work to do on the software. Tesla feels more mature in 2022... because it is being 10+ years since the first Model S shipped.