Lucid CEO teases mid-size in development

[Rogue]

I must be an exception with long legs... I'm 5'9-10 and would appreciate more toe room, especially in the touring. It actually annoys me a lot because my feet feel "claustrophobic" even though they are already at a pretty good angle, if that makes sense?

Young people like to lounge, myself included. Older folks like to sit. That's part of the difference in toe room observations.

 

[no gas]

True. Research has shown that the underlying reason that most employees tacitly accept management hierarchy as legitimate is the lengthening of time horizons as you move up the hierarchy. If you run a business that builds, say, jet engines, you have to make multi-billion-dollar development bets today on where the industry will be in 10-20 years: what size planes will be flying, will air travel be hub-centric, how much will fuel costs drive the purchase equation, etc.

One of the questions about the advisability of Rawlinson holding both the Chief Technical Officer and Chief Executive Officer roles at Lucid revolves around this time horizon question. As CEO, he needs to focus on where EV markets will be on time horizons dictated by automotive development cycle lengths -- typically 7-10 years. This means a lot of time tracking and influencing developments in battery technology, materials science, electronics, propulsion, consumer buying patterns, political trends and legislation relating to fuels and infrastructure, etc. This also means keeping an eye on and recruiting emergent talent in the industry, as well as overseeing the functional integration of the whole organization, all the while being the public face of the company.

On the other hand, the CTO needs to have a much narrower, deeper, and closer-in focus on applied technology -- especially in a car company that is moving as many design and engineering needles at once as Lucid is.

This may explain why photographs of Rawlinson show a man who seems to have aged 20 years in the past 10.

Good point. Also you have to give credit to Peter and his team, they produced a phenomenal vehicle! Thank you Lucid!

 

[hmp10]

This announcement was very interesting. It was the first time Rawlinson has publicly said that Lucid is going directly after the market in which Tesla has planted its flag and up against specific Tesla models. Given Lucid's stock performance, that is quite bold. And Lucid has also recently made it clear that its factory expansion plans are proceeding on schedule.

I think this could only mean that Lucid has obtained a guarantee of continued Saudi PIF support over the long haul, in keeping with my view that the Saudis are playing a very long game with their EV strategy.

Boy, Musk must have really pissed the Saudis off with his shenanigans back in 2018.

 

[Bobby]

This announcement was very interesting. It was the first time Rawlinson has publicly said that Lucid is going directly after the market in which Tesla has planted its flag and up against specific Tesla models. Given Lucid's stock performance, that is quite bold. And Lucid has also recently made it clear that its factory expansion plans are proceeding on schedule.

I think this could only mean that Lucid has obtained a guarantee of continued Saudi PIF support over the long haul, in keeping with my view that the Saudis are playing a very long game with their EV strategy.

Boy, Musk must have really pissed the Saudis off with his shenanigans back in 2018.

Musk is very worried about the Chinese.

 

[joec]

Young people like to lounge, myself included. Older folks like to sit. That's part of the difference in toe room observations.

Here's a quick thought experiment for you.

Imagine sitting in the back of a Model Y. Keep your toes tucked firmly under that front seat in your mind. Lounge as you will.

Now, replace the Model Y with an Air. Keep your legs exactly where they are. Your feet are now, despite your knees not moving at all, in the middle of the back seat foot well. The driver's seat (even if it's set for a 6'2" person like myself, is about 9 inches away from your knees, and your feet are at least six inches from the "toe area" behind the front seat.

Any way you slice it, unless half of your calf is sitting under the Model Y driver's seat, you have more room to stretch out in the Lucid. You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

 

[Rogue]

Here's a quick thought experiment for you.

Imagine sitting in the back of a Model Y. Keep your toes tucked firmly under that front seat in your mind. Lounge as you will.

Now, replace the Model Y with an Air. Keep your legs exactly where they are. Your feet are now, despite your knees not moving at all, in the middle of the back seat foot well. The driver's seat (even if it's set for a 6'2" person like myself, is about 9 inches away from your knees, and your feet are at least six inches from the "toe area" behind the front seat.

Any way you slice it, unless half of your calf is sitting under the Model Y driver's seat, you have more room to stretch out in the Lucid. You're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

Ah I see where there would be confusion. There is no comparison to the Lucid rear room.

Perception and habit are the culprits here. I am used to wedging my feet underneath a seat to lock my legs in place. Laziness. An attribute of a generation, maybe? There is simply no way to replicate that in the Lucid, so it feels counterintuitive despite the increased leg room. My legs want to man sprawl vs wedged and straight.

To use the term sprawl in any vehicle other than a minivan with the second seat pushed all the way back is the eye opening part. The mid size will likely have ample room compared to anything else on market hands down.

I guess what we are saying is: "Let us wedge our toes under the seat, even if we have to slouch and stretch to reach?"

 

[xponents]

Any way you slice it, unless half of your calf is sitting under the Model Y driver's seat

Cough cough(more like 1/3)

And I know, its the same ACTUAL legroom, but my toes just feel more cramped. Im more used to stuffing them under the seat as @Rogue said!

 

[Haggy]

I love Peter Rawlinson and everything - he’s certainly more likeable than another CEO who I will not name - but I wish he’d put his shoulder into getting the Gravity launched into production, and not be distracted by anything else. I really can’t wait to place my order.

Being more likeable than He Who Shall Not Be Named isn't much of a complement.

 

[borski]

but my toes just feel more cramped. Im more used to stuffing them under the seat

Math is hard, but im pretty sure that’s a contradiction lol

 

[xponents]

Math is hard, but im pretty sure that’s a contradiction lol

No like, I don't really care about moving my feet around much under the seat, but it doesn't FEEL as cramped with more toeroom! Its very hard to explain.. or maybe i'm just used to other cars and not having to see my shoes?

 

[borski]

No like, I don't really care about moving my feet around much under the seat, but it doesn't FEEL as cramped with more toeroom! Its very hard to explain.. or maybe i'm just used to other cars and not having to see my shoes?

Right, I think we’re talking past each other. You *do* have more toe room. That is definitionally true. You have more everything room. What you don’t have a is a pocket to stick your toes in. That pocket provides you with less toe room than currently exists in an Air.

That’s the contradiction. You want to cocoon your toes like some people cocoon in their comforter. That’s fine, but it doesn’t give you more space.

 

[hmp10]

I think the issue here is that, although the Lucid has truly astonishing knee room in the rear, your knees are still jacked up into an unnatural position by the high floorboard. (The is the case with Teslas and with the EQS, too.) The knee angle can be relaxed a bit by pushing your feet forward, and the lack of toe space under the front seats impedes that. (This is not an issue with the Airs I have tried out with the smaller battery pack and its 3.15" lower floorboard.)

Lucid tacitly admitted this is an issue in the Air by saying they are addressing it in the Gravity. The upper tier of battery modules that are under the rear seats of the Lucid are being put under the front seat of the Gravity so that the second-row seats can be folded down to create a flat cargo space. However, Lucid said they are being positioned toward the leading edge of the front seats expressly to create toe room under the front seats for second-row passengers.

 

[borski]

I think the issue here is that, although the Lucid has truly astonishing knee room in the rear, your knees are still jacked up into an unnatural position by the high floorboard. (The is the case with Teslas and with the EQS, too.) The knee angle can be relaxed a bit by pushing your feet forward, and the lack of toe space under the front seats impedes that. (This is not an issue with the Airs I have tried out with the smaller battery pack and its 3.15" lower floorboard.)

Lucid tacitly admitted this is an issue in the Air by saying they are addressing it in the Gravity. The upper tier of battery modules that are under the rear seats of the Lucid are being put under the front seat of the Gravity so that the second-row seats can be folded down to create a flat cargo space. However, Lucid said they are being positioned toward the leading edge of the front seats expressly to create toe room under the front seats for second-row passengers.

I agree - ergonomically, it is superior to have a "foot garage." I was solely being pedantic about there being 'more' or 'less' room for your toes.