Second comment has to do with messaging. Again, to reiterate, I’m not employee of Lucid, I don’t have an NDA, I’m not sponsored, I’m not muzzled… I could postulate why I with some of the others were chosen to get this update before others but that’s a moot point.
We were so excited to get it and the few of us who did, wanted to reach out to the broader Lucid community to let them know that help was on the way and the knight in shining armor was right around the bend! We begged our Lucid contacts to release the hounds and let the story out. If I could put myself in all of your shoes, I think that I would have liked to know that help was on the way even if it was going to be “Coming Soon” before that update got to me.
We are not privy to the back-and-forth that they had internally but needless to say there were pros and cons on both sides for the public story released before actually showing up as a download in your cars. From what I understand, those who okayed it are getting blowback from those who said no to the public release. We cannot put that genie back in the bottle but here’s the true question, so dig deep inside and give an honest answer, because Lucid is probably listening:
Next time (there probably will be a variation of the next time, let’s be honest): should Lucid keep a cap on this information until it’s released to the broader fleet or, like this time, let the cat out of the bag? For the techie amongst us, maybe somebody can create a poll that is better worded?
I, for one, would appreciate a more sophisticated approach to OTA updates.
First, let me say that I've selected my EVs (3 on order) specifically from non-traditional ICE manufacturers BECAUSE I appreciate the disruption of "the norm". I'm still getting requests to buy Navigation updates for some of my other cars ..
CarPlay wasn't an option on some of my newer Japanese vehicles (heck, my wife's 2018 Sequoia still has a physical key ..
) The EQS has no frunk ..
This disruption is especially highlighted by OTA updates.
With our 2020 Tesla Model Y, we experienced the good and the bad of OTA updates:
- You never knew what was coming or when
- Without a lot of YouTube and Forum searching, you really didn't know what, specifically, was updated.
- Sometimes (as with a lot of software) something would be fixed, but 1 or more other things would be broken (e.g. the frunk-open msg that surprised my daughter while driving after an unexpected, overnight OTA update)
- That said, things did get better .. somewhat .. eventually.
I believe that Lucid can (and should) do better than the other(s).
I've been dealing with Technology for a long time, mostly with B2B hardware & software which must be delivered quickly, but has to work 100% of the time. The days of old mainframe development are too slow, but the newer "move fast and break things" approach may work well with social media apps, and even smartphones (to a lesser degree), but is too speculative and risky when dealing with vehicle manufacturing. IMHO, adoption of a more sophisticated approach that ensures Rapid Development, robust testing/QA, and a dynamic, yet transparent, release schedule is the key to making a brand like Lucid even better.
My approach would enable owners to make suggestions, track tentative release schedules, and get notified of upcoming releases (inclusive of what functionality is enhanced/affected/revised). Beta testers would also have a clearer idea of when to post certain, "upcoming features" content.
I've worked for a few vehicle manufactures and can, unequivocally say that more communication is better than less communication (even if some of the communication isn't as transparent .. for legal or strategic reasons .. as it could be).
my 2 cents.