Interview w/ Lucid Designer Jenny Ha - How the Lucid Air was Born, Being Lucid's Designer, and More!

Nice interview and a bit disappointing to find out the the automatic open/close doors will not be available initially. See the question and answer at the around the 21:26 mark
 
I had not made it that far into the video, so thanks for pointing this out.

This confirms what the sales associate told me at the West Palm Beach Design Studio -- that the issue with the power-operated doors had more to do with sensors than with the operating mechanism. He wondered, though, why the B-pillar camera would not be able to detect obstructions. This is the first time, however, that I've heard it mentioned that the feature could be delayed until the introduction of the executive rear seats, which will probably mean 2022. (At least I won't be frustrated that my Dream Edition missed out on this feature by only a few weeks or months.)

This leaves me with another question. I understand why the power-operated doors would be necessary for the executive seating, as it would probably be difficult to reach the interior door handle when the door was open to its full 90-degree position. But, as I found out Wednesday at West Palm, reaching out to close the front door is significantly impeded by the very low roof rail. You really have to twist your neck to reach the door handle from the front seating positions.

If the sensors are not yet developed for fully-automatic operation, why can Lucid not at least put the power actuators in the door at the outset and allow the doors to be closed automatically by hitting a button on the control panel? If the power operation engages only upon instruction from the driver or passenger, the need for sensors, at least for the closing function, is mooted.

Tesla has a power-operated driver door that closes when the brake pedal is pressed. I understand why sensors would still be indicated there, as the driver might press the brake pedal before the door was clear. But if the driver had to press a button on the control panel, that risk would be alleviated.

Speaking of Tesla, they have had sensors on the Model X falcon wing doors since 2016. I grant that they were initially problem-ridden, but the falcon wing doors needed to sense conditions above the car as well as alongside the car and control the door through more complicated movement than simply opening and closing along a single axis. Even with all that complexity, those issues are largely resolved, so this sensor technology is not exactly ground-breaking stuff. Lexus manages it with some models. My Honda minivan manages it on the rear sliders.
 
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