Open letter to Lucid after 7 months of ownership

[BS8899]

I think that this article should provide most folks on this forum some perspective, insight and ideas. All they had to do is fix software in machines that have minimal moving parts. How hard can that be, right?
Enjoy:

https://www.wsj.com/tech/sonos-speakers-app-ceo-24250f2c?st=nZ48sK&reflink=article_copyURL_share

@Green G's posting, together with @cgm9999's posting, raise the correct issues. The current Lucid owners are mostly drive-enthusiasts. We are intrigued by the technology, the efficiency, the range, the acceleration, the handling, etc.. In as Sadistic way, we actually love to go figure out how to work around the SW glitches and feel accomplished. It is a validation of our own technical prowess. The next 10k, 20k 50k customers are not going to be like that.

SW bugs are facts of life the product developers have to contend with. There will always be unintended SW interactions in a complex system. The question is, does the Lucid team have the ethos to manage such a process to minimize exposing the customers to SW bugs. Yes, no auto manufacturers are immune. But others are doing a better job than Lucid.


As Lucid's product line and trims proliferate, these problems will be more compounded.

Aside from SW, Lucid also better pay attention to its claims on charging speed, range, and efficiency. Yes, I believe Lucid is still leading in efficiency and range (with a larger battery). But, as the recent OoS episode on the Ionque5 charging and the I-90 Surge results show, Lucid's leadership in these areas are going to be challenged.

 

[msaunders9430]

Here is another example that shows Lucid is aware of the challenge they face with their software.
Below is a link to the Out of Spec (OoS) podcast done after Kyle drove a pre-production Gravity last month.
OoS Kyle has our back! He has the back of anyone interested in an EV.
He did this video on the pre-production model, but will be doing one on the final production and you know there will be range test and ADAS videos as well.
His videos are long, but the guy is amazing! OK, I digress.

Go to the 1:44:30 to 1:51:00 mark of the video to hear his comments about the Gravity software or lack thereof.
My favorite line from the section: "That software team better be not sleeping".
BTW, you will note, he says in the video that he texted his friends at Lucid.

 

[Green G]

@Green G's posting, together with @cgm9999's posting, raise the correct issues. The current Lucid owners are mostly drive-enthusiasts. We are intrigued by the technology, the efficiency, the range, the acceleration, the handling, etc.. In as Sadistic way, we actually love to go figure out how to work around the SW glitches and feel accomplished. It is a validation of our own technical prowess. The next 10k, 20k 50k customers are not going to be like that.

SW bugs are facts of life the product developers have to contend with. There will always be unintended SW interactions in a complex system. The question is, does the Lucid team have the ethos to manage such a process to minimize exposing the customers to SW bugs. Yes, no auto manufacturers are immune. But others are doing a better job than Lucid.


As Lucid's product line and trims proliferate, these problems will be more compounded.

Aside from SW, Lucid also better pay attention to its claims on charging speed, range, and efficiency. Yes, I believe Lucid is still leading in efficiency and range (with a larger battery). But, as the recent OoS episode on the Ionque5 charging and the I-90 Surge results show, Lucid's leadership in these areas are going to be challenged.

My hope with the SONOS article was to shed light on how a company with a higher market cap, work force still cannot manage to get their software right. Software to connect speakers to each other is the core of what Sonos does. That is why I bought their speakers.
That said, the glitches that they cannot seem to fix, prevent me from buying them again. The threshold is low and there are many speakers that do connectivity better. I get my sonic gratification from my dedicated 2.1 system.

In two years when it’s time for me to get a new car, I probably will get another Air. Why? Because I didn’t buy it for the software, connectivity. By then many glitches will be ironed out and far less of an issue. Tesla had a ton of issues three years into their genesis too.

 

[msaunders9430]

In relation to this thread specifically, but extending to the entire forum, the reality is that there are different types of people and how they react to life in general and challenges specifically.

Distilling it to the basics: some are glass half full people and some are glass half empty people.
Lucid can get their software to 100% perfection and there will be people on here saying "Yeah, it's good now, but I remember when it was horrible. Let me tell you about my horrors of the past that I will never forget and will never let you forget".

Fact of forum communication/relation we have to acknowledge.
Not complaining , stating facts.

 

[BS8899]

Here is another example that shows Lucid is aware of the challenge they face with their software.
Below is a link to the Out of Spec (OoS) podcast done after Kyle drove a pre-production Gravity last month.
OoS Kyle has our back! He has the back of anyone interested in an EV.
He did this video on the pre-production model, but will be doing one on the final production and you know there will be range test and ADAS videos as well.
His videos are long, but the guy is amazing! OK, I digress.

Go to the 1:44:30 to 1:51:00 mark of the video to hear his comments about the Gravity software or lack thereof.
My favorite line from the section: "That software team better be not sleeping".
BTW, you will note, he says in the video that he texted his friends at Lucid.

I don't doubt Lucid is "aware" of their SW exposure. The question herein is, what are they doing about it, and are they actively communicating with the customers and setting expectations. A large part of this thread is the "radio-silence" on SW from Lucid.

I think it is great that Rawlinson acknowledges the SW challenges. With all due respect, I don't think Rawlinson is the person who is going to change Lucid's SW development/validation culture.

 

[LongIslandDad]

I wonder if these issues are isolated to the pre-2025 models, because my 2025 Air Touring has been remarkably bug free. Sure, there have been a few very minor glitches here and there, but no more than my recent BMWs, which are known to have the best UI in the industry.
I would like their app to be more feature rich though. For example, there's no excuse to not have programmable cabin climate pre-conditioning scheduling in the app, when just about everyone else has had that for many years now.

 

[roKapl99]

P

In relation to this thread specifically, but extending to the entire forum, the reality is that there are different types of people and how they react to life in general and challenges specifically.

Distilling it to the basics: some are glass half full people and some are glass half empty people.
Lucid can get their software to 100% perfection and there will be people on here saying "Yeah, it's good now, but I remember when it was horrible. Let me tell you about my horrors of the past that I will never forget and will never let you forget".

Fact of forum communication/relation we have to acknowledge.
Not complaining , stating facts.

Sounds exactly like what happens in board meetings at the condo complex I live in. Over 1,000 residents. Most here happy, enjoy their residence and amenities. Sure, there are always repairs needed and repairs take longer than planned. There are always a small number of residents that are always unhappy and continually bring up past issues that have been resolved. Just have to know how to filter out the noise, send it to the spam folder.

 

[msaunders9430]

I don't doubt Lucid is "aware" of their SW exposure. The question herein is, what are they doing about it, and are they actively communicating with the customers and setting expectations. A large part of this thread is the "radio-silence" on SW from Lucid.

I think it is great that Rawlinson acknowledges the SW challenges. With all due respect, I don't think Rawlinson is the person who is going to change Lucid's SW development/validation culture.

Fair enough on the active communication.
Everyone is different.
I don't need active communication, I need solutions to what I'm dealing with.
I don't need to know specifically what is being worked on, I need solutions.
As long as I know my issues are known, I'm good because I know they are working on solutions.

As the saying goes "Actions speak louder than words". "Solutions speak louder than emails and posts".
Radio silence from Lucid tells me they are working on solutions. Talk to me when they are ready.

That's just me.

 

[SaaSManKS]

I mean, Kyle is spot on with his analysis of this. There is no room for error with Lucid on this. When Tesla came to market, OTA's and SW in cars wasn't a thing so there was no bar for this, but now, the world has drastically changed, and these things are just par for the course. You cannot ship a car that is lacking mission critical features, and now they have backed themselves into a corner and if Gravity SW isn't on point, shit will go off the rails.

Positive note from the video was his buddy Dave (I believe was his name) was super confident as Kyle said "ya we've got this" soooo let's see what they've got! He even says they should hold deliveries until it's dialed in.

 

[Science]

IDK. I'm not an enthusiast. I got the Air for the range. Period. I enjoy it more than I thought I would. So it can take a minute open. So does putting down my bags, finding my keys and opening my 2000 Honda. The radio sucks, so I use use Tune-In. No big deal. Do I wish it had AA? Yes. I have a wireless dongle for my Bolt EV. If it really bugged me I would buy a converter kit. It is so much more car than a Tesla, even if the software isn't perfect. I feel safe in the car and it gets me where I am going. What else do I need?

Larrycpa joined this group in July 24. Let's assume that's when they got their car. The implication is that they didn't have the car during a winter. Cars that take a minute or more to open in the cold, cold winter are problems.

 

[Batteryman]

@Green G's posting, together with @cgm9999's posting, raise the correct issues. The current Lucid owners are mostly drive-enthusiasts. We are intrigued by the technology, the efficiency, the range, the acceleration, the handling, etc.. In as Sadistic way, we actually love to go figure out how to work around the SW glitches and feel accomplished. It is a validation of our own technical prowess. The next 10k, 20k 50k customers are not going to be like that.

SW bugs are facts of life the product developers have to contend with. There will always be unintended SW interactions in a complex system. The question is, does the Lucid team have the ethos to manage such a process to minimize exposing the customers to SW bugs. Yes, no auto manufacturers are immune. But others are doing a better job than Lucid.


As Lucid's product line and trims proliferate, these problems will be more compounded.

Aside from SW, Lucid also better pay attention to its claims on charging speed, range, and efficiency. Yes, I believe Lucid is still leading in efficiency and range (with a larger battery). But, as the recent OoS episode on the Ionque5 charging and the I-90 Surge results show, Lucid's leadership in these areas are going to be challenged.

Who says Lucid not paying attention, they are fully aware. Guess why they are working on UX 3.0.

 

[Batteryman]

Fair enough on the active communication.
Everyone is different.
I don't need active communication, I need solutions to what I'm dealing with.
I don't need to know specifically what is being worked on, I need solutions.
As long as I know my issues are known, I'm good because I know they are working on solutions.

As the saying goes "Actions speak louder than words". "Solutions speak louder than emails and posts".
Radio silence from Lucid tells me they are working on solutions. Talk to me when they are ready.

That's just me.

Yep, I know Lucid is working on it. In the meantime, will enjoy my Lucid!

 

[stratus]

Larrycpa joined this group in July 24. Let's assume that's when they got their car. The implication is that they didn't have the car during a winter. Cars that take a minute or more to open in the cold, cold winter are problems.

I am in my third winter with my 2022 GT. While I have had a few frustrating lags with my door handles presenting when it’s 20 below zero, it has been a matter of seconds. Never more than a couple seconds.

I have had my handles get stuck by ice a few times; a gentle push freed the ice and I entered the car.

The car is solid in the winter. Of course, there are some issues, but these are quite minor in my opinion.

I empathize with those frustrated by software problems , but I just don’t feel that overwhelmed by them.

 

[Bobby]

I am in my third winter with my 2022 GT. While I have had a few frustrating lags with my door handles presenting when it’s 20 below zero, it has been a matter of seconds. Never more than a couple seconds.

I have had my handles get stuck by ice a few times; a gentle push freed the ice and I entered the car.

The car is solid in the winter. Of course, there are some issues, but these are quite minor in my opinion.

I empathize with those frustrated by software problems , but I just don’t feel that overwhelmed by them.

It's all a matter of perspective. Those people who feel overwhelmed by waiting a few seconds for the door handle to open are very lucky people because they apparently have very few real problems in their lives.

 

[stratus]

It's all a matter of perspective. Those people who feel overwhelmed by waiting a few seconds for the door handle to open are very lucky people because they apparently have very few real problems in their lives.

Excellent point.

 

[HC_79]

I wonder if these issues are isolated to the pre-2025 models, because my 2025 Air Touring has been remarkably bug free. Sure, there have been a few very minor glitches here and there, but no more than my recent BMWs, which are known to have the best UI in the industry.
I would like their app to be more feature rich though. For example, there's no excuse to not have programmable cabin climate pre-conditioning scheduling in the app, when just about everyone else has had that for many years now.

I have a pre-2025 model and have come out practically unscathed compared to what others have experienced on here, especially with the recent OTA.

 

[msaunders9430]

I mean, Kyle is spot on with his analysis of this. There is no room for error with Lucid on this. When Tesla came to market, OTA's and SW in cars wasn't a thing so there was no bar for this, but now, the world has drastically changed, and these things are just par for the course. You cannot ship a car that is lacking mission critical features, and now they have backed themselves into a corner and if Gravity SW isn't on point, shit will go off the rails.

Positive note from the video was his buddy Dave (I believe was his name) was super confident as Kyle said "ya we've got this" soooo let's see what they've got! He even says they should hold deliveries until it's dialed in.

"No room for error"? So you're expecting perfection from the beginning?
"If Gravity SW isn't on point, shit will go off the rails"? Not sure of your definition of "on point".

Your profile shows you own an Air Pure. Perhaps there have been no issues (errors) with it.

Just curious; what corner has Lucid backed themselves into?
Pure curiosity on my part. We definitely don't have to agree.

 

[hydbob]

I think everyone forgot Lucid gave a roadmap....

 

[Lucken]

I have a pre-2025 model and have come out practically unscathed compared to what others have experienced on here, especially with the recent OTA.

That’s been my experience too. I almost feel guilty with my 23 AWD Pure to not have the issues that many here have…and my efficiency is still a bit over 4.0 after over 12,000 miles. Nah, I don’t really feel guilty.

 

[msaunders9430]

I think everyone forgot Lucid gave a roadmap....

Nobody reads maps anymore, we use GPS.
Roadmap? You trying to make people think?