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Lucid Air Cupholder NHTSA Complaint

gaskiller said:
Yeah, would be nice to have bigger cup holders, but I can easily live with these. I actually like the fact that cans don’t tip over or wobble inside.
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Yeah I spilled my coffee twice in the Gravity when using excess acceleration because they have bigger looser cupholders.
 
HC_79 said:
He's by no means a useless engineer. He's a very knowledgeable person when it comes to engineering and how it all works.
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And also has been reviewing cars for about 10 - 12 years. I have literally assigned some analysts who worked for me to watch his videos on engine and transmission design and analysis as a way of getting more familiar with the more technical aspects of cars. Having them have that level of knowledge built credibility with our clients and relieved the need for having me lead all the technical discussions.
 
Beatstanfurd said:
I think this is what is being debated.
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I can see four potential solution paths here...
  1. Lucid changes the design of the cupholders in Air
  2. Customers actively search out cups / mugs that fit in the existing cupholders
  3. Customers acquire aftermarket cupholder solutions. I remember in the '80s / '90s buying those cheap plastic things that would hook into the window frame.
  4. Customers buy a different vehicle with better cupholders.
It's possible that I'm missing something.
 
I think it's a real stretch to call this a safety issue to the degree that an official report needs to be made about it.

While the existing Air cup holders are a tad tight , they are perfectly capable of fitting 12oz cans, 20oz bottles and a large variety of cup sizes without spilling.

But then what happens when they make the cup holders bigger? Suddenly common cup sizes that previously fit securely are now loose and tip over when you accelerate and turn, once again potentially spilling hot liquid on your lap.

I KNOW this is going to happen because I have frequently driven other cars with different sized cup holders and every single one of them had sizes of drinks that would not stay securely.

So what then? Another new official safety complaint because now smaller cups don't stay securely and might burn someone?

You literally cannot design a perfectly sized cup holder. it's just not physically possible.

So yeah, in my mind making this an official safety complaint isn't really valid, unless your end goal is a complete ban on cup holders in automobiles because it's impossible to design one that will perfectly and securely fit any cup that some yutz wants to use for their scaffolding hot coffee.

If you want your coffee with you, buy a cup that fits in your car and has a secure lid. Failure to do so puts the blame for any spills directly in your lap. (Pun intended)
 
AnthonySF said:
“I personally have better things to do.”

Apparently not, considering you just wrote three paragraphs arguing with a complete stranger on an internet forum over cup holders. Lol.

And you’ve managed to prove my original point perfectly. Someone raises a legitimate criticism of a product, and rather than simply acknowledging that the design could be improved, you feel compelled to defend the manufacturer and blame the consumer. Fascinating.
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In my opinion the design doesn’t need improvement it works well. You apparently think the cup design is proper and the car is broken. That’s your opinion, when my first try at a cup didn’t fit I went back in the house and got a different cup.
I mean to be honest my coffee mug in the house doesn’t fit either.
And no one blamed anyone for anything, there were a few people who suggested you try a different cup?

Oh and the better thing is having a discussion; not spending time trying to get a government agency to force a change on the size of <!?¥?€^%}{~ car cup holders. Ymmv

I’d rather be trying to figure out how to get better lateral traction, without losing a bunch of efficiency, than cup holders.
 
The Air is Objectively one of the safest cars ever designed. Just look at photos of high-speed collisions involving Airs. How well the cabin is protected from impact.

But sure. Cup holders.
 
It is fascinating to learn that cupholder geometry is the defining engineering crisis of our time. I bypass the coffee ecosystem entirely, but my milk tea and standard to-go cups clear the console perfectly. My current beverage asset list: three black MiiR Lucid thermoses and one white one. They all fit without issue. We can probably stand down the federal agencies. The vehicle's utility is fully intact; it is simply our ability to compromise that is broken.
 
Takeshi said:
It is fascinating to learn that cupholder geometry is the defining engineering crisis of our time. I bypass the coffee ecosystem entirely, but my milk tea and standard to-go cups clear the console perfectly. My current beverage asset list: three black MiiR Lucid thermoses and one white one. They all fit without issue. We can probably stand down the federal agencies. The vehicle's utility is fully intact; it is simply our ability to compromise that is broken.
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Cupholder discussion aside, the Lucid MiiR tumblers are really good, that's what I use as well
 
AnthonySF said:
Unfortunately, posting this here will likely do little more than bring out the brand loyalists. I find it fascinating how people feel compelled to defend a company that doesn’t even know they exist, simply because someone raises a concern that might reflect negatively on their beloved brand. We see this tribal mentality in so many areas of society today.

When I saw your post, my first thought was, “Good for you for actually doing something about an issue that bothers you.” It’s your prerogative to file a complaint, and I don’t understand why anyone would take personal offense to that. If anything, holding manufacturers accountable benefits all of us as consumers.

And for what it’s worth, I completely agree that the cup holders are poorly designed. They grip certain cups so tightly that removing them requires an unreasonable amount of force, and plenty of cups don’t fit at all.
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While the internet is chock-full of those "tribal mentality" cases, II don't think this is one of those. Am I considered one of those brand loyalists? I agreed with OP, the small cupholders are one of my minor gripes with my Air. I don't take issue with their concern, they're certainly free to air grievances about the product/company. I certainly have.

I do however take issue with the way OP has framed their complaint as a safety issue, and is attempting to rally support for government intervention all because they've been inconvenienced. I find this kind of behavior intolerable and ever-increasing. At a micro level this sort of end-run tactic is harmful to processes set in place to handle legitimate safety issues, at a macro level it's eroding personal agency and fostering the nanny state.

I think the thread would have gone very differently if OP hadn't brought up NHTSA and then started hurling personal insults around when people disagreed with their methods. /rant
 
chazglenn3 said:
This is how the "WARNING CONTENTS ARE HOT", "DO NOT DRINK BATTERY FLUID" and "OPEN BOX BEFFORE EATING PIZZA" labels came about...
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IMG_1752.gif
 
AnthonySF said:
They weren’t complaining for entertainment.
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No, but some complaints are entertaining. 🙃

Surely, you can agree that not all complaints are valid? Even if they represent someone’s lived experience?

For example, someone feeling disappointed because they got 2nd place and not 1st might complain, but only sometimes is that complaint valid.

I am not comparing this to that; I am simply trying to find common ground.

I think the disagreement is whether the complaint is valid or not; many of us seem to believe there is an easy workaround and it is simply a design aspect of the car, not a failure, defect, and certainly not a safety defect.

Having an issue with them is not a problem, to be clear! But insisting everyone else also take issue with them and join you in complaining to the NHTSA? That’s a bit different.
 
chazglenn3 said:
This is how the "WARNING CONTENTS ARE HOT", "DO NOT DRINK BATTERY FLUID" and "OPEN BOX BEFFORE EATING PIZZA" labels came about...
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Welcome to California. Everything here is made of cancer.
 
As long as the cupholder in my car can hold my Giga-soda (128 oz of liquid gold also known as Diet Dr Pepper), I’m happy. Nobody can make me drink water - do you have any idea what fish do in water?
 
Here is a quick video of my car and cups :)
I have a Lucid studio on the first floor of my building. I took a bag of my mugs to the studio today to test :) The new Air still has the tight cup holders but they have fixed it in Gravity, which has slightly wider ones. The regional sales manager was at the store and acknowledged that this is a problem with Air. He used to drive an Air and had this problem and coffee spills. He said that Lucid has come up with an adapter for them but they block the lid for storage compartment and buttons on the screen, so he does not recommend them. Even the Lucid's own cup was a tight fit in Air.

I think this is a serious hazard that the company is aware of and should fix. Their own employees agree with it.
 

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