I am annoyed. Here is what Lucid needs to do.

[thecodingart]

Crafting release notes is a fine art. Some feel it should simply be a list of everything the developers did since the last version. This would be incomprehensible to most people. Others view it as a marketing opportunity. Some like to write witty stories that are only tangentially connected to what's in the update. Others consider it a nuisance and just don't bother to write anything descriptive. (We've all seen those annoying apps that just say "We regularly release improvements and enhancements to our app to improve your experience.")

The best release notes, of course, are none of the above. The right way to do it is to have someone on the dev team take the technical jargon provided in the commit message history and translate that into plain language for the masses.

This is harder than it looks. It also takes time. How much time do you think the average Lucid dev has for creative writing these days?

From what I've seen of Lucid's release notes, they do better than most. When you see an update that just says something to the effect of "enhancements for future features" take them at their word. In other words, you'll download this update and feel like nothing has changed, if all goes according to plan. But under the hood, the software is ready for something it will need down the line. It's not important for you to know what just yet.

The fact of the matter is almost no one reads release notes anymore. Whether that's the cause or the effect is up for debate.

We press "update" on so many gadgets so often that most people have learned to just trust the system and press without checking. And then there are those few of us who like to dig in and see what might be new and shiny. I feel your pain. I love these gritty details, too.

From what I've seen so far, Lucid tells you when there's something you'll notice has changed. Otherwise, they say little, which means you can expect little. But that doesn't mean the update wasn't critical to something behind the scenes.

I’ve always been under the mindset that people falsely seem to think no one reads the release notes (which can be true when they aren’t transparent behind an auto update wall).

I can’t tell you how many companies I’ve worked for that posted the generic “bug fixes” release notes where I basically reformed it to be valuable customer facing updates. It also adds a nice personal touch that customers usually have some appreciation from when they see it.

But yeah, “bug fixes” release notes is totally a pet peeve of mine.

Lucid is in an interesting position because what they’ve been deploying the last few weeks really is likely bug fixes and enhancements. I expect you’ll see more when they start doing legitimate feature work rather cleanup/prep.

 

[FastEddi3]

Getting issues while editing, so a follow up post: to be clear, the 12v batteries haven’t needed replacement. The HV batteries have, on those cars where 12v failure presents as a symptom.

If it were up to Lucid, CarPlay would be released “yesterday.” But they have to follow the rules and process, so we are all waiting on that.

I was told the same thing about CarPlay last week by a Lucid engineer. Apparently, the only hold up now is approval of the appearance of the interface. Apple wanted them to make some changes on how it presented on the upper and lower screens. If they(Apple) reject it, you can't resubmit for approval again for like 4 or 6 months. They are pretty confident that they are close and will get approval on the next submission in a couple/few months. Apparently it's been a frustrating process because Apple doesn't give you a full punch list with each submission. They just tell you "you need to change A, B and C." You fix those, wait a couple months, resubmit, then they tell you, "okay, now change D, E, and F." Like they say, A is for Apple, ... and Arrogance.

 

[joec]

I was told the same thing about CarPlay last week by a Lucid engineer. Apparently, the only hold up now is approval of the appearance of the interface. Apple wanted them to make some changes on how it presented on the upper and lower screens. If they(Apple) reject it, you can't resubmit for approval again for like 4 or 6 months. They are pretty confident that they are close and will get approval on the next submission in a couple/few months. Apparently it's been a frustrating process because Apple doesn't give you a full punch list with each submission. They just tell you "you need to change A, B and C." You fix those, wait a couple months, resubmit, then they tell you, "okay, now change D, E, and F." Like they say, A is for Apple, ... and Arrogance.

I don't know how accurate that is, because I've never dealt with Apple in terms of CarPlay. But given my other experiences with App Review, I wouldn't be shocked if it's at least partially accurate.

On the one hand, they have a brand to protect. So I get why they want to approve. On the other hand, the communication isn't always as forthcoming as you'd like. And often different reviewers might have differing opinions on what they consider acceptable.

 

[thecodingart]

I was told the same thing about CarPlay last week by a Lucid engineer. Apparently, the only hold up now is approval of the appearance of the interface. Apple wanted them to make some changes on how it presented on the upper and lower screens. If they(Apple) reject it, you can't resubmit for approval again for like 4 or 6 months. They are pretty confident that they are close and will get approval on the next submission in a couple/few months. Apparently it's been a frustrating process because Apple doesn't give you a full punch list with each submission. They just tell you "you need to change A, B and C." You fix those, wait a couple months, resubmit, then they tell you, "okay, now change D, E, and F." Like they say, A is for Apple, ... and Arrogance.

This is probably an easy outsider response, but in all honesty this is a similar discussion to the Epic vs Apple debacle. Most people do not realize how much crap Apple defends the public from. Let’s put Lucid’s current software into perspective and imagine if they could release CarPlay in a way that mirrors that experience… it wouldn’t be as valuable to you (the customer) if it lacked the consistency between other car experiences you’ve come to expect. It’s less of “arrogance” and more of standards and consistency protecting you as the customer.

 

[rlhyde]

This is probably an easy outsider response, but in all honesty this is a similar discussion to the Epic vs Apple debacle. Most people do not realize how much crap Apple defends the public from. Let’s put Lucid’s current software into perspective and imagine if they could release CarPlay in a way that mirrors that experience… it wouldn’t be as valuable to you (the customer) if it lacked the consistency between other car experiences you’ve come to expect. It’s less of “arrogance” and more of standards and consistency protecting you as the customer.

As a former Apple developer myself, I believe this. Apple is crazy about two things - the ease, use, and the intuitiveness of the user interface, and the security of the user's personal information and data.

 

[DJL]

I really don't understand...

The 12v battery thing is not an issue, yet, at least not to the point where it is a campaign or a recall. Remember the bolt torque campaign? Or the wiring harness or suspension recall? Obviously, the battery issue is not a widespread issue otherwise there would be a campaign or a recall to address it. There's no need for any public acknowledgement with this problem because it's unique to individual cars.

CarPlay/Android Auto - they've already publicly addressed it saying it's coming soon and they have been working on it.

Release notes - may not be up to the detail you want, but they do tell you what each one is addressing. I'd say the majority of people don't need the nitty gritty of what was fixed in the release notes. Yes, I understand some people would like that info, but some of that could be proprietary hence the necessity foe vagueness.

Unfortunately, it is an issue to those who experience such a failure. As I understand it (and I may be wrong), the "issue" can not be defined well enough to pinpoint a broad fix to the problem which a recall could address. The bricking problem is caused by one of the car's safety layers IDing a failure of a component whether it be wiithin one of the 12v batteries, an electrical connection, a module, a capacitor, a battery pack or whatever. Basically, each failure does not stem from a root problem that a recall would fix. For example, while one car could brick because it had just a cell failure within one of the 12V batteries, another car's bricking may be due to one of the components in the wunderbox failing, the next car bricked because its failure may be due to an electrical connection coming loose, and the next car could brick because of a 1283 battery module terminal failed. So on and so worth. Does that make better sense?

 

[hellolucid]

1. The 12v issue is not a widespread issue, and is limited to a few cars thus far. For example, in the many many cars in the Bay Area, only one has had the issue. Also, the 12v failures are a symptom, not the cause. Those batteries are not failing and have not required replacement. At some point if it becomes a widespread issue, they will do a recall as they’ve done for *much* more minor things, like the wiring harness that affected almost nobody.

i want to believe you but how do you know only one person had the issue in the Bay Area? it's hard to believe someone who makes general statements like "everyone loves popeyes". unless you have some insider knowledge, it's very hard to objectively deduce it from facebook/twitter feed and forum posts. even if you have some insider knowledge, they may not be forthcoming about the numbers. i suppose it really depends on what sorta relationship you have with that person and where that person is inside Lucid.

I agree with everything else you said about it being a symptom and not the cause but we don't know what the real cause is. so until Lucid tells us why it's failing, it's reasonable that people call it the 12v failure. this is covered by OP when they said speculation. the only way to clear it is by coming forward with a statement.

 

[SDHacker]

Thank you for the reply. And I understand what you are saying and even agree that it may not be the fault of Lucid. I just want Lucid to admit that publicly and simply say "we are working on it." I don't feel it is too much ask a company that took this much money from us to be honest with us instead of leaving us in the dark.

In my experience, no car manufacturer has ever done this before a recall was issued. I've never been told that problem X is being investigated and we think Y might be the problem. They wait until there is a recall then blast out letters to potentially impacted owners. Hasn't that been your experience too? If you've had a car manufacturer reach out to you before a recall to tell you people have reported experiencing problem X and we just want you to be aware we are doing our best to resolve it, that would be a total surprise to me.

This is no different than the cam position sensor on my ICE car crapping out and the repair shop telling me what the problem is over the phone before I even took the car in because it's a common problem on that model. Why didn't the manufacturer alert me to this?

 

[borski]

i want to believe you but how do you know only one person had the issue in the Bay Area? it's hard to believe someone who makes general statements like "everyone loves popeyes". unless you have some insider knowledge, it's very hard to objectively deduce it from facebook/twitter feed and forum posts. even if you have some insider knowledge, they may not be forthcoming about the numbers. i suppose it really depends on what sorta relationship you have with that person and where that person is inside Lucid.

I agree with everything else you said about it being a symptom and not the cause but we don't know what the real cause is. so until Lucid tells us why it's failing, it's reasonable that people call it the 12v failure. this is covered by OP when they said speculation. the only way to clear it is by coming forward with a statement.

Talked to the service team at Millbrae, who handle all the Bay Area service. Also, we have a very large group of Bay Area Lucid owners and that is consistent with that group too. I’m quite confident that’s accurate.

 

[borski]

Unfortunately, it is an issue to those who experience such a failure. As I understand it (and I may be wrong), the "issue" can not be defined well enough to pinpoint a broad fix to the problem which a recall could address. The bricking problem is caused by one of the car's safety layers IDing a failure of a component whether it be wiithin one of the 12v batteries, an electrical connection, a module, a capacitor, a battery pack or whatever. Basically, each failure does not stem from a root problem that a recall would fix. For example, while one car could brick because it had just a cell failure within one of the 12V batteries, another car's bricking may be due to one of the components in the wunderbox failing, the next car bricked because its failure may be due to an electrical connection coming loose, and the next car could brick because of a 1283 battery module terminal failed. So on and so worth. Does that make better sense?

Of course. I think what was meant was that it wasn’t a showstopper issue that should worry most owners, as the majority haven’t had an issue with it, not that it can’t happen.

 

[stratus]

What’s the use obsessing about it. Just drive the car, blast some great Atmos tracks , and be prepared for anything , just for peace of mine. I love taking people for rides in this car , shocking them with the sound system , and then seeing their reactions with the G-force of swift mode. The thing is just such a blast , that one can easily forget about the what ifs. Not to minimize the individuals who are having issues; it sucks for those affected.

 

[rlhyde]

In my experience, no car manufacturer has ever done this before a recall was issued. I've never been told that problem X is being investigated and we think Y might be the problem. They wait until there is a recall then blast out letters to potentially impacted owners. Hasn't that been your experience too? If you've had a car manufacturer reach out to you before a recall to tell you people have reported experiencing problem X and we just want you to be aware we are doing our best to resolve it, that would be a total surprise to me.

This is no different than the cam position sensor on my ICE car crapping out and the repair shop telling me what the problem is over the phone before I even took the car in because it's a common problem on that model. Why didn't the manufacturer alert me to this?

I would like to think they can fix this 12Volt issue without a recall. But that is an example of what I am referring to. I don't know what the issue is (hardware or software). If it is software they could OTA it.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I was told the same thing about CarPlay last week by a Lucid engineer. Apparently, the only hold up now is approval of the appearance of the interface. Apple wanted them to make some changes on how it presented on the upper and lower screens. If they(Apple) reject it, you can't resubmit for approval again for like 4 or 6 months. They are pretty confident that they are close and will get approval on the next submission in a couple/few months. Apparently it's been a frustrating process because Apple doesn't give you a full punch list with each submission. They just tell you "you need to change A, B and C." You fix those, wait a couple months, resubmit, then they tell you, "okay, now change D, E, and F." Like they say, A is for Apple, ... and Arrogance.

In my other area of business, I can tell you Apple compliance is strict and if you fail, you do have to get back in line to wait again, not just fix it and come back to get inserted to beginning of queue.

 

[RTS]

1) Be honest about their cars. Apparently they have a 12 Volt issue that is leaving some owners stranded, with the cars needing to be towed. They need to be honest and say something like "yes, we have an issue with the 12 volt batteries not charging. We are aware of the issue and we are working on it. It appears to take place when [explain]." Instead Lucid has not explained that they are even aware of the problem, much less that they are working on a fix. This is bad business, especially because it leaves the problems in the hands of speculation and guessing, which is worse than any truth they are avoiding.

2) Be honest about their cars. In their advertising material Lucid says they are compatible with CarPlay, but they are clearly not. Many people have an anecdotal story about how Lucid is "about to release" an update that supports CarPlay. Even my Lucid advisor promised me CarPlay would be available "by the end of the year" and said he really thinks CarPlay will enhance the car. There is also a picture, that may or may not be Photoshopped, that appears to have CarPlay running on one of their cars. Is this legitimate? No one seems to know.

3) Be honest about their cars and actually tell owners what their updates provide, if anything. They have a lot to fix, and as far as I can tell their updates don't really do anything to address the issues.

My car owned since march had the 12 volt battery issue and had to be put on rolling wheels to be pulled out of my garage and taken to Houston service center. They had my car 4 weeks and replaced the entire battery pack plus the two 12 volt batteries. Frustrating but working for past few months so fingers crossed my issue was resolved.

 

[rlhyde]

My car owned since march had the 12 volt battery issue and had to be put on rolling wheels to be pulled out of my garage and taken to Houston service center. They had my car 4 weeks and replaced the entire battery pack plus the two 12 volt batteries. Frustrating but working for past few months so fingers crossed my issue was resolved.

Did Lucid give you any idea as to what the problem was?

 

[Tesla2.0]

I would like to think they can fix this 12Volt issue without a recall. But that is an example of what I am referring to. I don't know what the issue is (hardware or software). If it is software they could OTA it.

As my 12V recent case, twice DA personally visited me jolted V12 wires while having engineer on the phone to instruct him how to get car onboard computer started. They took car to Service Center to further diagnosis of battery and computer system yesterday. I can tell that they were diagnosing bc my Lucid mobile app keep pushing me messages of charging. They couldn’t replicate issue and just updated me OTA. I told them to keep my car longer than just 24 hrs so they can do thorough test.

My Air couldn’t wake up from deep sleep was the issue, it wasn’t 12V as I thought it was. The Low Voltage battery was good, didn’t really jump, just touching external battery trigger voltage and get circuit going. The cause rather than the symptom was the micro-signal couldn’t transmit to computer from 12V. I just thought driving all day 200 miles on version 1.2.185 might be the downfall. I got very choppy and laggy Navigation and Tidal than ever before right after that update.

My GT has almost reached 3000 miles. I never had any serious issue. The times I brought in to Service Center was very minor such as reporting 110V charging cable has negative charge and frunk latch got misaligned by my carwash guys. Whatever new bug 1.2.185 introduced, I hoped they crushed it in the later versions.

Air GT is amazing. Now I’m driving Polestar 2 with Android system, although there are many Android apps and stable Google assistant, I still like my laggy Lucid UI than Polestar 2 for the aesthetics cockpit. Lucid just need to put navigation map/direction onto dashboard screen like Polestar and incrementally deploying more Dream Drive features. As for ability to use Apple CarPlay, that to me is merely a bonus feature.

 

[digiboxer]

i want to believe you but how do you know only one person had the issue in the Bay Area? it's hard to believe someone who makes general statements like "everyone loves popeyes". unless you have some insider knowledge, it's very hard to objectively deduce it from facebook/twitter feed and forum posts. even if you have some insider knowledge, they may not be forthcoming about the numbers. i suppose it really depends on what sorta relationship you have with that person and where that person is inside Lucid.

I agree with everything else you said about it being a symptom and not the cause but we don't know what the real cause is. so until Lucid tells us why it's failing, it's reasonable that people call it the 12v failure. this is covered by OP when they said speculation. the only way to clear it is by coming forward with a statement.

Of course what you say makes so much sense that even the true believers can't persuasively rebut. But look at the context:

1) L has an existential need to raise Billions of new capital in the next 6--9 months
2) L has maybe 2000 current owners
3) The Saudis (61%), lawyers and I-bankers are calling the shots to a management team of engineers

In this setting the advice isn't going to be "admit all your past failures"..."grovel to the owners about how you've let them down". There will soon be SEC filings, analysts' commentary, road show to sell the new securities (assuming the Saudis aren't the only buyers)..and on and on.

As much as current owners feel let down by Lucid-the- company, this isn't the moment for L to apologize

 

[borski]

Of course what you say makes so much sense that even the true believers can't persuasively rebut. But look at the context:

1) L has an existential need to raise Billions of new capital in the next 6--9 months
2) L has maybe 2000 current owners
3) The Saudis (61%), lawyers and I-bankers are calling the shots to a management team of engineers

In this setting the advice isn't going to be "admit all your past failures"..."grovel to the owners about how you've let them down". There will soon be SEC filings, analysts' commentary, road show to sell the new securities (assuming the Saudis aren't the only buyers)..and on and on.

As much as current owners feel let down by Lucid-the- company, this isn't the moment for L to apologize

Most current owners don’t feel let down by Lucid. I clarified my data earlier. Please don’t spread FUD.

 

[MoniputerLM]

Most current owners don’t feel let down by Lucid. I clarified my data earlier. Please don’t spread FUD.

I feel let down by Lucid.

 

[digiboxer]

Most current owners don’t feel let down by Lucid. I clarified my data earlier. Please don’t spread FUD.

I didn't men to imply *All* owners are disappointed...I was merely responding to one who clearly is.....lighten up...