Gravity Delivery Discussion

[hmp10]

Pretty sure that's the Aurora Green prototype that's been making the rounds for a while. There is definitely a green color hue to that Gravity rather than the silver titanium color.

Now that you mention it, I think you're right. Boy, that video washes out the color, though.

I've seen the Lunar Titanium with the Tahoe interior twice in different showrooms and found that it picks up surrounding colors in a very pronounced way, so I thought this was the silver picking up the tones from the ceiling of that venue.

 

[privacylaw]

I'm about 99.9% sure the holdup is all software related and squashing all the bugs is taking longer than expected. The hardware is known to be finalized and I doubt there are too many delays in parts (if so, that would be their fault for mismanaging orders and timelines from suppliers). I suspect they don't want to release the vehicle with half baked software and risk the same negative press over that like the Air did when it was first delivered.

Since we're all speculating - if it were software, wouldn't they be cranking out the physical cars, stacking them on the lot, and then issue a software update so they are all immediately ready to go? Strikes me since there are not a lot of cars stacking up anywhere, that something related to manufacturing is going on unfortunately.

 

[DeaneG]

Since we're all speculating - if it were software, wouldn't they be cranking out the physical cars, stacking them on the lot, and then issue a software update so they are all immediately ready to go? Strikes me since there are not a lot of cars stacking up anywhere, that something related to manufacturing is going on unfortunately.

Could be both. Thousands of things have to come together.

 

[BS8899]

Could be both. Thousands of things have to come together.

Are the following bullets correct:
> a number of review sites test drove the Gravity in Nov '24./Dec'24 > >however, all of these test drives were "supervised" vis-a-vis, there was a Lucid chaperon on the test drive and the reviewers are not allowed to explore the electronics/dash settings etc..

And then there were the 9 Gravities delivered to employees and friends at the end of the 2024 picnic.

My point is, I don't think we have seen any thorough reviews of the Gravity, all its wiz-bang electronics, charging, range, etc.. Perhaps it is a great SUV, but do we really know?

I suppose we will hear an update on Feb 25.

Meanwhile, Rawlinson is talking about 180 mile range EVs and only 20% of Lucid will be in car manufacturing. Actually, I think those might indeed be the future for Lucid, and perhaps the correct path. What does that mean for the Gravity? Mid-size? etc.?

Feb 25 will be an interesting event!

 

[DeaneG]

I'm curious what will happen on Feb 25 as well.

 

[msaunders9430]

I'm curious what will happen on Feb 25 as well.

I'm an investor and interested buyer. For me, Gravity deliveries is the elephant in the room.

However, with the 20/80 strategy being the top-rated question area, I hope investors on the call who have a chance to ask their question but aren't interested in buying a Gravity, don't dominate the Q&A time.

 

[DeaneG]

However, with the 20/80 strategy being the top-rated question area, I hope investors on the call who have a chance to ask their question but aren't interested in buying a Gravity, don't dominate the Q&A time.

I have questions about the 20/80 strategy too, but none that can be answered. As a veteran of several startups I will say that there are many ways for a third party to engineer or litigate around the need to pay a license fee.

 

[msaunders9430]

I have questions about the 20/80 strategy too, but none that can be answered. As a veteran of several startups I will say that there are many ways for a third party to engineer or litigate around the need to pay a license fee.

Agree.
There are tons of questions about the 20/80.
That's a longer term strategy that has potential, but may not matter if the short term challenge of Gravity isn't successful.

An idea is one thing, implementation is something else. Details matter.

 

[msaunders9430]

I have to say, reading Lucid posts on social media these days like in high school you see a girl you kinda like. You look at her. She sees you looking at her and she smiles. Don't be teasing me. We both know it's gonna happen.

 

[Neurio]

My take on the 20/80 thing is that they're still going to produce as many vehicles as possible, but they're hoping to license to a very large OEM, who can produce millions of vehicles with Lucid tech under the hood. This licensing will make up a larger portion of the business than self production, but they will still have both the US and Saudi factories running as close to full capacity as possible.

Also, as other have pointed out, the factory has enough interior space to produce a bunch of Gravities and keep them hidden inside from prying eyes. It's not like the early days of the Air where space was limited and the cars just sat in the parking lot awaiting parts.

 

[msaunders9430]

My take on the 20/80 thing is that they're still going to produce as many vehicles as possible, but they're hoping to license to a very large OEM, who can produce millions of vehicles with Lucid tech under the hood. This licensing will make up a larger portion of the business than self production, but they will still have both the US and Saudi factories running as close to full capacity as possible.

I would be fine with the increased focus on licensing if the software was up to speed.

Produce some solid (minimal software issues) cars/SUVs then shift the focus. And yes, "minimal" is subjective.

 

[Neurio]

I would be fine with the increased focus on licensing if the software was up to speed.

Produce some solid (minimal software issues) cars/SUVs then shift the focus. And yes, "minimal" is subjective.

Software and hardware are very different things. They can license their hardware without giving up on their software.

 

[HC_79]

I would be fine with the increased focus on licensing if the software was up to speed.

Produce some solid (minimal software issues) cars/SUVs then shift the focus. And yes, "minimal" is subjective.

They’d license the powertrain and all the software that goes towards running it. What we see (UX/UI) on the software side would be up to whoever they license it to.

 

[msaunders9430]

Software and hardware are very different things. They can license their hardware without giving up on their software.

True, but when it comes to resource allocation, which includes funds for staffing and time, if power train hardware is the core business (80%) what's the impact of that remaining 20% on software dev?

Not saying they will give up, but what's the possible impact on dev?

As an investor, no problem.
As a customer, details please.

 

[Neurio]

True, but when it comes to resource allocation, which includes funds for staffing and time, if power train hardware is the core business (80%) what's the impact of that remaining 20% on software dev?

Not saying they will give up, but what's the possible impact on dev?

As an investor, no problem.
As a customer, details please.

You don't think they'll proportionally hire more people to increase the hardware output? It's not like they have a static company size that would force the software team to be downsized at the expense of up sizing the hardware team.

 

[msaunders9430]

They’d license the powertrain and all the software that goes towards running it. What we see (UX/UI) on the software side would be up to whoever they license it to.

Understood.
Good for the customers of the licensee.

As a Lucid customer I'd like to know that Air/Gravity software dev efforts are still as strong as ever

 

[msaunders9430]

You don't think they'll proportionally hire more people to increase the hardware output? It's not like they have a static company size that would force the software team to be downsized at the expense of up sizing the hardware team.

Yep.
Proportional hiring.

No static company size, but static funds.
If the PIF gives them $3B, is $600M sufficient for car-specific operations (not just software) vs. $3B?

No one knows for now.

I'm not opposed to the 20/80 strategy. The idea of them licensing their tech is not new. I just have questions. The fact that questions about the strategy are the top questions for the earnings call tells me I'm not the only one.

 

[cmansell]

As a new EV customer (Gravity would be our first EV), it will also be the first vehicle we ordered instead of just picking up at the lot. As a fringe member of the "Instant gratification" society we live in now, these delays are difficult to continue accepting.

As a selt proclaimed technology driven customer that is always looking, and purchasing, the latest and greatest, the Gravity seemed like the perfect first EV to jump into. It had the technology and engineering I was looking for and the performance and versatility my wife was looking for.

Since my wife and I are not part of the EV community yet, and have no experience with ordering and waiting for vehicles. I feel that we are on the edge of the more general vehicle purchasing community. And I can say the lack of contact or information from Lucid to the customers that have already ordered one of their vehicles is a significant concern. Not due to the delays, because as most of you have mentioned, we want a fully baked vehicle if possible, but instead because of the lack of customer service this is representing.

As a newer company looking to make a bigger impact in the vehicle market, their reputation will be key (again as many of you have pointed out), but that reputation to the general purchasing community will not just be based on the product. The customer service will also be a factor. So not even providing information to their own customer facing employees is very concerning.

 

[DeaneG]

...As a newer company looking to make a bigger impact in the vehicle market, their reputation will be key (again as many of you have pointed out), but that reputation to the general purchasing community will not just be based on the product. The customer service will also be a factor. So not even providing information to their own customer facing employees is very concerning.

I'd expect to hear more information around the Feb 25 earnings call. For better or worse, Lucid usually saves up events/announcements for these calls.

 

[Adnillien]

It looks like some Gravity production underway. Three Gravity being loaded onto a car hauler today.