Open letter to Lucid after 7 months of ownership

[Blue Lectroid]

You and the four people you know are extraordinarily fortunate. When I am outside of my garage, I almost always have to get my phone out and at least get the Lucid app on the screen before my doors will unlock. And every time I "utter an oath." It's just something I've come to expect, so I don't bitch about it, but many of us are suffering from this problem.

I feel for you. I wish there was some rational explanation…perhaps try approaching the car routinely with your phone awake and in hand?

 

[Blue Lectroid]

Lol, I know you’re quite quick to post how your car is perfect and has amazing range and no issues and trust me I get it. You just picked up your car…you’re still in that honeymoon phase. Once you’ve owned and had your car for a few months and few thousand miles, and given your partner and/or family that’s maybe not as tech savvy as you some time to use the car on their own, come back and we can have a discussion. And again, this is ONLY about software. I’m not debating the ride or build quality, or space efficiency, or anything like that (these are the reasons I initially got my Lucid Air)

I’ve owned a 2018 Model 3 and a 2022 Rivian R1T. If those cars had more software issues than my Lucid, trust me I would not be posting here. I would be in those forums harping on their UI. But no…The Lucid is far and away the glitchiest and most bug-ridden UI I’ve used in an EV. (I’ve owned probably a dozen EVs since 2014). Even My wife hates having to take the Lucid on her own because of the screen freezing, music stopping to work, rear camera failing to load, or driving 75 miles RT and using 120 on the displayed range, or as discussed above…the mobile key not working. Never had a complaint from her from driving the Rivian or Teslas though!

Anyway, don’t take my word for it. Go watch reviews from Kyle from OOS, Edmunds, Motortrend, etc…they all say the same thing about software

I do not at all doubt that you and others are having these issues. I have not (nor have my friends…with mobile key) and if I do start having them I will share that. That said, the mobile key in my Tesla WAS more temperamental than the Lucid has been thus far. Perhaps it’s just luck, who knows?

 

[BS8899]

Lol, I know you’re quite quick to post how your car is perfect and has amazing range and no issues and trust me I get it. You just picked up your car…you’re still in that honeymoon phase. Once you’ve owned and had your car for a few months and few thousand miles, and given your partner and/or family that’s maybe not as tech savvy as you some time to use the car on their own, come back and we can have a discussion. And again, this is ONLY about software. I’m not debating the ride or build quality, or space efficiency, or anything like that (these are the reasons I initially got my Lucid Air)

I’ve owned a 2018 Model 3 and a 2022 Rivian R1T. If those cars had more software issues than my Lucid, trust me I would not be posting here. I would be in those forums harping on their UI. But no…The Lucid is far and away the glitchiest and most bug-ridden UI I’ve used in an EV. (I’ve owned probably a dozen EVs since 2014). Even My wife hates having to take the Lucid on her own because of the screen freezing, music stopping to work, rear camera failing to load, or driving 75 miles RT and using 120 on the displayed range, or as discussed above…the mobile key not working. Never had a complaint from her from driving the Rivian or Teslas though!

Anyway, don’t take my word for it. Go watch reviews from Kyle from OOS, Edmunds, Motortrend, etc…they all say the same thing about software

I agree with @momo3605.

Like most of you, I like the drive dynamics, range (see my comments to follow), cabin appointment, etc.. But the SW/UI is incredibly buggy. I managed HW/SW revenue product development before. Lucid's performance is, at best, sub-par! That's not to say other manufactures don't have problems. But Lucid, now in its 3rd year of production on the Air, still struggles with many original issues and has not communicated a plan and timeline to fix the remaining issues.

The most common refrain I hear was, "you should have seen UX1.0!". I got my AGT with UX 2.0. I missed all the fun! That's a very low bar!

I like to see Lucid thrive. But they have to do a lot more to get there. I can't see Lucid performing at the current level while launching more trims/models (Gravity, mid-size). Imagine Lucid shipping 3 different models and 10 plus trim variants @50+kU/yr in the coming 18 months. They must take the SW/UI issues much more seriously.

Lastly, I bought my AGT for its advertised range. At that time (2021-2023), I go back-and-forth between Phoenix and LA frequently. The trip was 400 miles, door-to-door. While I believe the AGT is still the longest range EV, it falls significantly short of its claimed range (516mi on the AGT) at highway speed (70-75mph). Yes, I am aware of those OoS 70mph tests. But I have never been able to achieve them on my PHX-LA drives.

 

[Leftlane]

My Tesla phone key has never had an issue - not once. Also, it doesn’t really matter what Tesla does anyway if you are trying to get Lucid to improve. Whataboutism doesn’t solve any problems.

 

[borski]

My Tesla phone key has never had an issue - not once. Also, it doesn’t really matter what Tesla does anyway if you are trying to get Lucid to improve. Whataboutism doesn’t solve any problems.

I was not engaging in whataboutism. The claim was made that other manufacturers did not have this problem. I showed that other manufacturers absolutely do have this problem; I was not excusing the issue.

 

[PaulC]

I agree with @momo3605.

Like most of you, I like the drive dynamics, range (see my comments to follow), cabin appointment, etc.. But the SW/UI is incredibly buggy. I managed HW/SW revenue product development before. Lucid's performance is, at best, sub-par! That's not to say other manufactures don't have problems. But Lucid, now in its 3rd year of production on the Air, still struggles with many original issues and has not communicated a plan and timeline to fix the remaining issues.

The most common refrain I hear was, "you should have seen UX1.0!". I got my AGT with UX 2.0. I missed all the fun! That's a very low bar!

I like to see Lucid thrive. But they have to do a lot more to get there. I can't see Lucid performing at the current level while launching more trims/models (Gravity, mid-size). Imagine Lucid shipping 3 different models and 10 plus trim variants @50+kU/yr in the coming 18 months. They must take the SW/UI issues much more seriously.

Lastly, I bought my AGT for its advertised range. At that time (2021-2023), I go back-and-forth between Phoenix and LA frequently. The trip was 400 miles, door-to-door. While I believe the AGT is still the longest range EV, it falls significantly short of its claimed range (516mi on the AGT) at highway speed (70-75mph). Yes, I am aware of those OoS 70mph tests. But I have never been able to achieve them on my PHX-LA drives.

Although buggy SW/UI are important to remedy, range disappointment may be more problematic as many likely purchased based on advertised range. Can you comment what mi/kwhr you experienced/ tire specs/range you experienced and whether you noted change in efficiency over ownership?

 

[PaulC]

mi/kw not mi/kwh

 

[fisheral]

Although buggy SW/UI are important to remedy, range disappointment may be more problematic as many likely purchased based on advertised range. Can you comment what mi/kwhr you experienced/ tire specs/range you experienced and whether you noted change in efficiency over ownership?

Honestly, the winter range is so poor that my wife and I are considering buying a gas winter beater.

 

[BS8899]

Although buggy SW/UI are important to remedy, range disappointment may be more problematic as many likely purchased based on advertised range. Can you comment what mi/kwhr you experienced/ tire specs/range you experienced and whether you noted change in efficiency over ownership?

My main objective for purchasing the AGT was range. Drive dynamics, cabin comfort, DDPro are "nice-to-have".

On an I-10 PHX to LA drive, I keep to the posted speed limit, maybe plus 3-4 miles max. On I-10, speed limit is 75mph in AZ and 70 in CA. My AGT has an 112kW-hr battery. I typically charge to 100% SoC before departure, If I stop to charge with 10% SoC, that means I consumed ~100 kWh. With those parameters, I can cover ~350-360 miles at the speeds I referenced. Thus, the answer to your question is ~3.5-3.6 mi/kWh.

This efficiency number is pretty much consistent with what most people reported for highway speed driving in a 2022 AGT.

While I haven't actually tried it, if you dropped your speed to 60-65mph, you will probably get to 4.0+mi/kWh. But that would add ~14% to my travel time or ~50+min additional.

Therefore, the simple answer is, if you want to get the Lucid advertised range, you need to drive ~60mph or lower. That's in essence what they demonstrated on their Newark to Santa Monica convoy.

 

[BS8899]

My main objective for purchasing the AGT was range. Drive dynamics, cabin comfort, DDPro are "nice-to-have".

On an I-10 PHX to LA drive, I keep to the posted speed limit, maybe plus 3-4 miles max. On I-10, speed limit is 75mph in AZ and 70 in CA. My AGT has an 112kW-hr battery. I typically charge to 100% SoC before departure, If I stop to charge with 10% SoC, that means I consumed ~100 kWh. With those parameters, I can cover ~350-360 miles at the speeds I referenced. Thus, the answer to your question is ~3.5-3.6 mi/kWh.

This efficiency number is pretty much consistent with what most people reported for highway speed driving in a 2022 AGT.

While I haven't actually tried it, if you dropped your speed to 60-65mph, you will probably get to 4.0+mi/kWh. But that would add ~14% to my travel time or ~50+min additional.

Therefore, the simple answer is, if you want to get the Lucid advertised range, you need to drive ~60mph or lower. That's in essence what they demonstrated on their Newark to Santa Monica convoy.

I should add, I have 19" wheels. For me, it is all bout the range. Nowadays, I drive an even longer road-trip...from PHX to Marin county, 780 miles. It would cost me 2 extra hours of driving (~12.5hrs @70-75mph/ 14.5hrs @ 60mph, including charging time) if I drove at 60mph to get closer to the advertised range per charge.

 

[Science]

Minutes? Using mobile key? Contact service, something is wrong. And I like snark. Deal with it.

We are Lucid owners and we are shareholders. We are not "whining" when we complain that we can't get into the car.

Bottom line, we want to see Lucid succeed for a variety of reasons. The other day it took about 40 seconds to open the door while our relatively new Air was in our garage...and WiFi is off. I timed it.

The fob, phone and even the RFID card wouldn't unlock the doors.

When that happened, both my Android phone and someone else's iPhone were near the car. I can see how the unlocki/wakeup system could get confused. It seems like that would be good information to help Lucid improve. Being snarky with customer/shareholders serves no one.

If you think you are helping to create a good customer experience, you are very wrong. Potential customers read these threads (we did before we purchased).

As to contacting service, we did. The said they would get back to us within 72 hours. That was two days ago. So far, no response.

It would be helpful to Lucid to help them debug issues. Putting blame on customers is exactly what used to drive arrogant US automakers into the ground. Maybe you feel good about belittling a fellow customer, but you should note it does Lucid no good at all.

 

[Science]

In 27 months of ownership I have never had a delay of handle presentation that lasted more than a few seconds and I have never heard of anyone standing there waiting for minutes. If that is the case with your car, there is a serious issue at hand with your vehicle that needs to be investigated .

Now on the other hand, I have had several instances where I have walked away from the car and the handles did not return to a closed position and the car stayed on, but that is a different beast.

I'm glad to hear that you haven't had this issue. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Perhaps you never had the same conditions. I would be anxious to help Lucid get to the bottom of this. I'd rather my Lucid doors opened instead of trying to get help (and receiving Snark from other members...not you).

My working hypothesis is that when two different Bluetooth keys contact the car at the same time, something gets confused. Have you had those circumstance? If yes, then something else is indeed wrong. We did contact service two days ago. No response so far.

 

[Science]

Sometimes you need to take your phone out of your pocket, jiggle it around to unlock. It is conceivable that if you have something in your hands or carrying something, it takes some time to put it down safely, then do the phone dance, and then open the door before it locks again. Also if you just happen the stand there next to the car without doing the dance it might stay locked for minutes.

Momo you may have hit on a possible cause. Please note, though, we want to LOVE our Lucid. Fumbling with pockets and doing Kabuki dances does not prove endearment. nor does your observation that it may take "minutes." Lucid needs to make a car that opens easily if they want to be successful.

 

[Science]

Lol it’s funny how when key performance discussion comes up in any thread, if the mobile key team is complaining, the key fob team will come in and say key fob is superior. When the key fob team is complaining, then the mobile key team claim superiority

There’s some weird bug in my car with the fob. I turned off my wife’s mobile key because of profile switching and gave her a key fob. Now everytime she drives the car with a key fob, the screen glitches out and half the controls disappear. But it only happens when she takes a key fob. If I take my mobile key and drive the car no issue.

If I understand Momo correctly, problems seem to occur when two people are near the car with some kind of remote device (fob or phone). That's my guess also. This could be a good clue for the Lucid team.

 

[momo3605]

If I understand Momo correctly, problems seem to occur when two people are near the car with some kind of remote device (fob or phone). That's my guess also. This could be a good clue for the Lucid team.

Yea it very well could be. My wife and I both had mobile key set up, and aside from profile switching nightmare, I think it’s very possible that both of us walking up to the car together causes some sort of confusion

 

[ralsagoff]

It’s been just over one year since I had my Lucid AT. The car drives better than my 2012 Tesla Model S which I still own. However, the Lucid software continues to suck! The Apple carplay has vanished from the screen. The native navigation software is a terrible. The parking function is unreliable. Sometimes it will not pop up on the screen and at other times it is slow to pop up and I’m already parked by then. It connects with my iphone 15 pro max but often refuses to make calls. The wait times to get someone to resolve software issues is so long that I have just about given up on getting telephone help. I can’t wait for my 3 year lease to end so that I can stick the car back to them. I’m hoping that by November 2026, I will have more EV luxury options. THE BMW i7 is grossly underpowered for such a large heavy EV and the Mercedes EQS is ugly, underpowered and has a gaudy interior. Both have horrible range which is the best feature of Lucid. Hopefully, there will be better choices than having to buy the latest Tesla Model S.

 

[stratus]

I'm glad to hear that you haven't had this issue. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Perhaps you never had the same conditions. I would be anxious to help Lucid get to the bottom of this. I'd rather my Lucid doors opened instead of trying to get help (and receiving Snark from other members...not you).

My working hypothesis is that when two different Bluetooth keys contact the car at the same time, something gets confused. Have you had those circumstance? If yes, then something else is indeed wrong. We did contact service two days ago. No response so far.

I only use my fob and I think that is why I have not had any issue waking the car upon approach. I understand or at least surmise that the mobile key may be causing more issues.
As I have previously mentioned , I occasionally have issues when leaving the vehicle; it doesn’t turn off. I now just lock it with the phone ( previously I had to re- present the key ) . Anyway, I hope your frustrations abate. It’s a great car, with just a few hiccups.

 

[BS8899]

I'm glad to hear that you haven't had this issue. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Perhaps you never had the same conditions. I would be anxious to help Lucid get to the bottom of this. I'd rather my Lucid doors opened instead of trying to get help (and receiving Snark from other members...not you).

My working hypothesis is that when two different Bluetooth keys contact the car at the same time, something gets confused. Have you had those circumstance? If yes, then something else is indeed wrong. We did contact service two days ago. No response so far.

It’s been just over one year since I had my Lucid AT. The car drives better than my 2012 Tesla Model S which I still own. However, the Lucid software continues to suck! The Apple carplay has vanished from the screen. The native navigation software is a terrible. The parking function is unreliable. Sometimes it will not pop up on the screen and at other times it is slow to pop up and I’m already parked by then. It connects with my iphone 15 pro max but often refuses to make calls. The wait times to get someone to resolve software issues is so long that I have just about given up on getting telephone help. I can’t wait for my 3 year lease to end so that I can stick the car back to them. I’m hoping that by November 2026, I will have more EV luxury options. THE BMW i7 is grossly underpowered for such a large heavy EV and the Mercedes EQS is ugly, underpowered and has a gaudy interior. Both have horrible range which is the best feature of Lucid. Hopefully, there will be better choices than having to buy the latest Tesla Model S.

@ralsagoff's post is harsh, though I identify with many of his grievances. I hope Lucid management take note of the concerns raised by the owners and take a more proactive posture to acknowledge the concerns and communicate plans to fix the issues raised by the owners. The silence on addressing the SW issues in particular is deafening! A "see-no-evil" posture isn't going to work.

 

[BS8899]

I only use my fob and I think that is why I have not had any issue waking the car upon approach. I understand or at least surmise that the mobile key may be causing more issues.
As I have previously mentioned , I occasionally have issues when leaving the vehicle; it doesn’t turn off. I now just lock it with the phone ( previously I had to re- present the key ) . Anyway, I hope your frustrations abate. It’s a great car, with just a few hiccups.

If so, should all users discontinue using the mobile key and/or the app? By what about the reliability of the FOB? It also has a history of its own problems, correct?

 

[stratus]

If so, should all users discontinue using the mobile key and/or the app? By what about the reliability of the FOB? It also has a history of its own problems, correct?

Not at all what I was suggesting; just relaying my experience. Yes, the FOB had issues; I just haven’t suffered from them regularly. When it doesn’t work as expected ( when leaving the vehicle ) , I have a backup method.