Software issues versus daily driving

[ralsagoff]

Never even thought about getting a second set of wheels but certainly will now.

19s will always drive smoother especially if there are potholes like in LA.

 

[borski]

When you buy an EV, software is incredibly important because hopefully it’s going to help us (1) drive more safely, (2) make driving less challenging as we age with gradually diminishing cognition, (3) parking and navigation assistance, (4) location and fetch capabilities and (5) reduced maintenance. None of this matters with the millennial generation but we will all eventually get to our 70s.

I own a Tesla Model S 85 purchased in September 2013. It still drives like a rocket and the hybrid Google navigation has been amazing. The car has had absolutely no major hardware or software issues from day one. BTW, I have a reservation for a Lucid Touring because it has the metal roof option. I have purchased every important upgrade that is possible for my Tesla, however the auto driving option cannot be added to my Tesla. So it’s either the Lucid T or a new Tesla Plaid if they offer a round steering wheel option. To date, the technology in Tesla so far has not been matched by any other EV.

And I drove the original Tesla roadster; the software in it was absolute garbage, and much worse than the Lucid Air even at launch; though it was hellishly fun to drive what was essentially an EV Lotus Elise! I agree that, at present, Lucid’s software is behind Tesla’s (and some other automakers!). I just don’t think that will be the case long-term, just like it wasn’t for Tesla.

But in terms of *hardware* technology and driving experience, the Lucid beats out Tesla and is unmatched, imho - much more efficient motors/drivetrain and much steadier, more confident driving, and a much much nicer interior. Will Tesla catch up? Assuredly, since they now have competition!

I’m excited for the next decade of EVs.

 

[MikeTz]

When you buy an EV, software is incredibly important because hopefully it’s going to help us (1) drive more safely, (2) make driving less challenging as we age with gradually diminishing cognition, (3) parking and navigation assistance, (4) location and fetch capabilities and (5) reduced maintenance. None of this matters with the millennial generation but we will all eventually get to our 70s.

I own a Tesla Model S 85 purchased in September 2013. It still drives like a rocket and the hybrid Google navigation has been amazing. The car has had absolutely no major hardware or software issues from day one. BTW, I have a reservation for a Lucid Touring because it has the metal roof option. I have purchased every important upgrade that is possible for my Tesla, however the auto driving option cannot be added to my Tesla. So it’s either the Lucid T or a new Tesla Plaid if they offer a round steering wheel option. To date, the technology in Tesla so far has not been matched by any other EV.

I am most likely the oldest member in the group and I agree with almost everything you said. I test drove a Model S in 2013 and bought one on the spot. Changed it for a 2016 Model X. Changed the Model X for the plaid last year. I raced cars at Bridgehampton raceway. I love to drive and don;t want to be driven by software no matter how good. Never owned a car that was boring to drive then, and I don't plan on driving one ever. Unlike your experience, my early Tesla had lots of issues. A bad HV battery, module. two drive unit replacements, and numerous glitches. However, TESLA did some amazing things in its early days that kept me coming back. Repairs were carried out within a day or two and a loaner was dropped off at my house while my car was picked up and serviced. That service no longer exists. Lucky for me I have had zero issues with the Plaid. I agree with you on the yoke steering. I see no way of being able to release and catch the yoke to center during a skid. My wife is 5'2" and loves the plaid yoke. So no matter how much I dislike it the car stays. The Lucid driving dynamics are superior to Plaid in every way. The car is so good that I am willing to give Lucid time to fix the rest of their mess. So far the Lucid service has been amazing. Given my five blank dead to the touch screens so far, Lucid is on notice that the first time the car's A/C lays an egg in the middle of a hot humid Summer day in South FL Lucid has to buy the car back. I do believe every car company especially an EV company can benefit from adding a few common sense folks to their sodtware teams. The blind spot detection on the Plaid is just useless. With all the cameras it can't do an overhead view while parking either. Lucid on the other hand has made some simple things a lot more complecated then need be and it will take a lot longer for Lucid to make them work right.. I didn't mean for this to be a brain dump bu, ;ike you, I have owned Evs for the last eight years and have seen companies do some good things, some bad things, and some dumb things. Having to get out of the car to reset it is one of those dumb things. Clearly Lucid has not driven through a bad neiborhood late a night with an expensive car.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

I am most likely the oldest member in the group and I agree with almost everything you said. I test drove a Model S in 2013 and bought one on the spot. Changed it for a 2016 Model X. Changed the Model X for the plaid last year. I raced cars at Bridgehampton raceway. I love to drive and don;t want to be driven by software no matter how good. Never owned a car that was boring to drive then, and I don't plan on driving one ever. Unlike your experience, my early Tesla had lots of issues. A bad HV battery, module. two drive unit replacements, and numerous glitches. However, TESLA did some amazing things in its early days that kept me coming back. Repairs were carried out within a day or two and a loaner was dropped off at my house while my car was picked up and serviced. That service no longer exists. Lucky for me I have had zero issues with the Plaid. I agree with you on the yoke steering. I see no way of being able to release and catch the yoke to center during a skid. My wife is 5'2" and loves the plaid yoke. So no matter how much I dislike it the car stays. The Lucid driving dynamics are superior to Plaid in every way. The car is so good that I am willing to give Lucid time to fix the rest of their mess. So far the Lucid service has been amazing. Given my five blank dead to the touch screens so far, Lucid is on notice that the first time the car's A/C lays an egg in the middle of a hot humid Summer day in South FL Lucid has to buy the car back. I do believe every car company especially an EV company can benefit from adding a few common sense folks to their sodtware teams. The blind spot detection on the Plaid is just useless. With all the cameras it can't do an overhead view while parking either. Lucid on the other hand has made some simple things a lot more complecated then need be and it will take a lot longer for Lucid to make them work right.. I didn't mean for this to be a brain dump bu, ;ike you, I have owned Evs for the last eight years and have seen companies do some good things, some bad things, and some dumb things. Having to get out of the car to reset it is one of those dumb things. Clearly Lucid has not driven through a bad neiborhood late a night with an expensive car.

Not sure you are the oldest. I started racing my first Porsche (actually autocrossing) in 1967 while in college at UCSB. Also raced my 1983 911 on every track in California for five years from 1988-1993. I've owned four Porsches, two Mercedes, a BMW 540i with Sport Setup, a Jaguar, a Landrover, and four Lexus. I've also driven a few track only cars over the years. In my opinion the Dream P is easily the best overall car I've ever owned or driven. In terms of road handling with interior comfort and beautiful external styling I think it is as close to perfect as possible at this point in time for my preferences.

 

[TCGT]

Shout out to our elders (if they can hear us!)...cue Sinatra: "you make me feel so young"

 

[borski]

I am most likely the oldest member in the group and I agree with almost everything you said. I test drove a Model S in 2013 and bought one on the spot. Changed it for a 2016 Model X. Changed the Model X for the plaid last year. I raced cars at Bridgehampton raceway. I love to drive and don;t want to be driven by software no matter how good. Never owned a car that was boring to drive then, and I don't plan on driving one ever. Unlike your experience, my early Tesla had lots of issues. A bad HV battery, module. two drive unit replacements, and numerous glitches. However, TESLA did some amazing things in its early days that kept me coming back. Repairs were carried out within a day or two and a loaner was dropped off at my house while my car was picked up and serviced. That service no longer exists. Lucky for me I have had zero issues with the Plaid. I agree with you on the yoke steering. I see no way of being able to release and catch the yoke to center during a skid. My wife is 5'2" and loves the plaid yoke. So no matter how much I dislike it the car stays. The Lucid driving dynamics are superior to Plaid in every way. The car is so good that I am willing to give Lucid time to fix the rest of their mess. So far the Lucid service has been amazing. Given my five blank dead to the touch screens so far, Lucid is on notice that the first time the car's A/C lays an egg in the middle of a hot humid Summer day in South FL Lucid has to buy the car back. I do believe every car company especially an EV company can benefit from adding a few common sense folks to their sodtware teams. The blind spot detection on the Plaid is just useless. With all the cameras it can't do an overhead view while parking either. Lucid on the other hand has made some simple things a lot more complecated then need be and it will take a lot longer for Lucid to make them work right.. I didn't mean for this to be a brain dump bu, ;ike you, I have owned Evs for the last eight years and have seen companies do some good things, some bad things, and some dumb things. Having to get out of the car to reset it is one of those dumb things. Clearly Lucid has not driven through a bad neiborhood late a night with an expensive car.

You don't have to get out of the car to reset if you use the turn signal reset.

I agree it should be easier, but you can do that while sitting the car, fyi.

 

[ralsagoff]

There will come a time when you realize that software is what’s going to help you drive longer into your senior years. Right now, I see that most of you are in love with the hardware which BTW is better than Tesla.

 

[Johnboy]

I have a general question for the group , and especially those who have received their vehicles. It seems software issues have become a frustration for a significant number of owners. Have the software problems significantly impacted the daily driving experience? Are the software issues now being addressed more efficiently?
I have a GT reserved and it gives me a bit of trepidation reading some of these discussions. Certainly plan on following through but probably should temper my expectations

Matt, Ive had mine for 2 weeks and the software is sometimes slow to respond or needs repeat touches, but I would not be concerned. It will be fixed. This is a new rolling operating system that is going to need updates to get smooth. Think of it that way

 

[stratus]

Matt, Ive had mine for 2 weeks and the software is sometimes slow to respond or needs repeat touches, but I would not be concerned. It will be fixed. This is a new rolling operating system that is going to need updates to get smooth. Think of it that way

Sounds great and it seems like they are making progress!!

 

[hydbob]

There will come a time when you realize that software is what’s going to help you drive longer into your senior years. Right now, I see that most of you are in love with the hardware which BTW is better than Tesla.

No matter how good the software is, if the hardware is shit, the car will be shit

 

[ralsagoff]

With an EV, software is what controls the hardware! So, how can anyone pretend that the software glitches don’t matter in your daily driving experience? Lucid appears to be trying to fix the software glitches BUT they can’t seem to catch up! Part of the reason is that they have outsourced the chips needed, unlike Tesla. How can you be satisfied having paid such a princely sum for an EV that has so many software problems with no clear end date to resolution of the problems? The Dream edition buyers have basically become the guinea pigs putting the first edition through its paces. You should have been given a discount to be willing to own this first edition that was rushed out to meet their hype. BTW, I still have my Touring reservation which I’m hoping will start being manufactured before the end of next year. Hopefully, most of the software problems may be resolved by then.

 

[hydbob]

With an EV, software is what controls the hardware! So, how can anyone pretend that the software glitches don’t matter in your daily driving experience? Lucid appears to be trying to fix the software glitches BUT they can’t seem to catch up! Part of the reason is that they have outsourced the chips needed, unlike Tesla. How can you be satisfied having paid such a princely sum for an EV that has so many software problems with no clear end date to resolution of the problems? The Dream edition buyers have basically become the guinea pigs putting the first edition through its paces. You should have been given a discount to be willing to own this first edition that was rushed out to meet their hype. BTW, I still have my Touring reservation which I’m hoping will start being manufactured before the end of next year. Hopefully, most of the software problems may be resolved by then.

Everyone has their limit. The car in its current state is perfect for me. If nothing else was added I would be fine because the software glitches can typically be handled with a reset. But what can't be changed or reset is a crappy interior and an uncomfortable amount of NVH

 

[imran]

I have a general question for the group , and especially those who have received their vehicles. It seems software issues have become a frustration for a significant number of owners. Have the software problems significantly impacted the daily driving experience? Are the software issues now being addressed more efficiently?
I have a GT reserved and it gives me a bit of trepidation reading some of these discussions. Certainly plan on following through but probably should temper my expectations

You’re so right. I’ve had my GT for 3 weeks now and the software is very buggy. Takes multiple taps to get the side mirrors to fold, the iPhone app is forever sleeping, tidal all is very buggy (Spotify is better). The inbuilt nav system lacks basics like volume mute. And lack of car play is inexcusable given every low need vehicles now comes with it!!
Yes these are all Minor things but c’mon guys for $150k we should get a more refined product!! I was one of the first to get the BMW i8 when it came out in 2014 and rhe software was a LOT more refined even tho it was brand new vehicle!

 

[stratus]

You’re so right. I’ve had my GT for 3 weeks now and the software is very buggy. Takes multiple taps to get the side mirrors to fold, the iPhone app is forever sleeping, tidal all is very buggy (Spotify is better). The inbuilt nav system lacks basics like volume mute. And lack of car play is inexcusable given every low need vehicles now comes with it!!
Yes these are all Minor things but c’mon guys for $150k we should get a more refined product!! I was one of the first to get the BMW i8 when it came out in 2014 and rhe software was a LOT more refined even tho it was brand new vehicle!

Thanks for your reply.
It does concern me. I imagine I’ll be getting my VIN any day now. I guess I will have to prepare for frustration.

 

[hydbob]

Thanks for your reply.
It does concern me. I imagine I’ll be getting my VIN any day now. I guess I will have to prepare for frustration.

All the software shortcomings have been well documented on this forum. At this point, I would expect readers here to either 1) hold off until software is up to what they want or 2) just deal with it until it get there. or 3) get the car knowing it might never get there...

It's not like GT owners weren't aware of what they were getting in terms of software...

 

[stratus]

All the software shortcomings have been well documented on this forum. At this point, I would expect readers here to either 1) hold off until software is up to what they want or 2) just deal with it until it get there. or 3) get the car knowing it might never get there...

It's not like GT owners weren't aware of what they were getting in terms of software...

Very true.

I have to make that decision , and will probably just choose to get the car and deal with the software issues.

Again , my extreme distance from everywhere concerns me.

 

[hydbob]

Very true.

I have to make that decision , and will probably just choose to get the car and deal with the software issues.

Again , my extreme distance from everywhere concerns me.

That's true, I think that's a bigger concern than the software side!

 

[stratus]

That's true, I think that's a bigger concern than the software side!

It is. I have recurring dreams ( or nightmares ) about the car not working and having a service vehicle get lost, and end up in a different state, trying to find me.

 

[Maverick]

Very true.

I have to make that decision , and will probably just choose to get the car and deal with the software issues.

Again , my extreme distance from everywhere concerns me.

I'm a week in (with a road trip to LA thrown in). It may be that the more used to/reliant you were on software/carplay/boot times, the more the glitches bother you. That makes perfect sense to me. I'm upgrading multiple levels from my current Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler. There's software in them, but:

1) no carplay on the 2015 truck and maybe carplay on the Jeep but only if I connect to a USB
2) navigation updates are available once a year and cost $99 (when on sale)
3) acc on Jeep is really basic compared to the Lucid and I LOVED upgrading to acc on the Jeep as the truck didn't have it at all
4) side mirrors don't tuck on the jeep
5) no google/siri/alexa integration to communicate with the car
6) I'm sure countless other things the Lucid has on the software side that my other cars don't

Yes, you would be absolutely correct to say that some/many of these things can be found on other cars at lower prices, and you'd be right I'd assume. But since I didn't pick the other cars, I'm still trying to understand how best to use all the software things that do work (I'm also not experiencing the multiple presses to get the side mirrors to tuck in so that may not be generally software related).

Overall, I just don't know enough about what good software does that the Lucid should be doing, so I'm just starry-eyed right now.

Having said that, there are some things that I wouldn't mind having on there (some mentioned before)

1) I do like Sirius XM, so definitely surprising they didn't put a satellite antenna in there
2) along those lines, especially when dealing with an EV, something like a satellite driven onstar or uconnect would give me a bit more comfort out here in the AZ wilds
3) software update to tilt down mirrors when in reverse

But otherwise, I've just never had enough software in the first place to know what I'm missing in the Lucid. Again, I believe if I had that frame of reference, I'd have much more to say. So far though, one screen glitch and Alexa not working today on one drive. Otherwise, nothing really notable that I've observed...YET.

 

[ralsagoff]

What you don’t know is a not a problem. Try driving a Tesla model S and you will see how the software makes the car run so beautifully.