Taking a look at Lucid

[Osprey22]

Morning all,

For starters (do not shoot me) I own a Model 3 and with the let down that is the CyberTruck (please do not hate me) I find myself looking for a more "comfortable" ride and that has lead me to Lucid. I had a few questions if you would humour me (I have done my research to the maximum extent possible but some questions remain and seeing as individuals here have Lucid it made sense to ask):

-Charging, I have currently have my level 2 charger installed in my garage, is there a NACS->J1772 adapter, primarily would like to stick with Tesla's charging network?
-Is there a plan to retrofit the J1772 ports on existing cars to NACS or will this be a hard switch over to NACS with a cut off date for production?
-How frequent (best guess) are updates to the User Interface (UI) on the Lucid cars? I have watched quite a few videos and like it for the most part, but as we all know continued software support is as important as mx minders
-Preconditioning / Heating, I observed somewhere (for the life of me I cannot recall) that preconditioning / heating the car shuts off after 30 minutes, fact or fiction?
- What are your biggest complaints using Lucid as a daily driver?
-How is mx support in NOVA (Northern Virginia, I know there is a service center at Tysons Corner), for example when I was working in Key West and my 12v died, Tesla sent a tech from Miami (4 hours there / 4 hours back) to swap out the 12v?
-The 500 mile range is extremely attractive to me, are there any downsides to this particular model?
-I have looked at the financials for this company and find them a bit concerning, mainly the fact that they seem to be struggling to find their place in the market (hint low cost EV that is not luxury based, but I digress), does anyone else share this concern referencing long term support for their car?

These questions are being asked in good faith and I am not trying to say one company is better than the other or anything of that sort, just trying to find a more comfortable ride with decent range.

 

[hydbob]

Have you actually gone and test driven the car yet?

1) Charging - Teslatap will do NACs -> j1772 and many owners use this already. Tesla network won't be available until 2025 and would need a different adapter to work anyways
2) No plans announced yet for retrofit, but my guess would be no. It will probably just be a port swap at some point in production
3) UI updates...depends on what you mean, improvements are incremental and you can read all the update notes at lucidupdates.com
4) pre-conditioning for the battery goes on forever until you turn it off. Cabin pre-heat works until it reaches the temp. Cabin hold temp works for 45 minutes
5) no worries about company's future

 

[Osprey22]

Have you actually gone and test driven the car yet?

1) Charging - Teslatap will do NACs -> j1772 and many owners use this already. Tesla network won't be available until 2025 and would need a different adapter to work anyways
2) No plans announced yet for retrofit, but my guess would be no. It will probably just be a port swap at some point in production
3) UI updates...depends on what you mean, improvements are incremental and you can read all the update notes at lucidupdates.com
4) pre-conditioning for the battery goes on forever until you turn it off. Cabin pre-heat works until it reaches the temp. Cabin hold temp works for 45 minutes
5) no worries about company's future

1. Not yet, I have one scheduled for this weekend., I have inspected the cars in the show room and am impressed thus far.
2. Yeah, logically that makes sense but I had to ask.
3. Yes, I will read the updates but are they frequent like Tesla's? Is Lucid actively working towards a "wish list" / priority updates?
4. Excellent on Pre-conditioning, no qualms there. Cabin pre-heat will eventually shut off after 45 minutes, that makes sense though not completely ideal (bougie I know lol)
5. I think ultimately the company will be successful but I would be remiss not mentioning it as the car itself (again which I like) is a massive investment.

 

[segbrk]

-Charging, I have currently have my level 2 charger installed in my garage, is there a NACS->J1772 adapter, primarily would like to stick with Tesla's charging network?

Clarifying hydbob’s answer - the adapter will work for your home charger and Tesla destination chargers, just not superchargers. Those are currently (mostly) locked down, and the current gen is too low voltage to charge the Air quickly anyway. I’m in NoVA, feel free to ask questions about non-Tesla charging in the area if you have specific trip destinations in mind.

- What are your biggest complaints using Lucid as a daily driver?

That I have to get out of it? But more seriously, the phone as key was always irritating to me. Others feel differently. I just switched to carrying the fob, now it’s fine. Otherwise, check the Bugs survey results at the top of the forum page, that’ll give you a good idea of what most people are currently complaining about.

-How is mx support in NOVA (Northern Virginia, I know there is a service center at Tysons Corner), for example when I was working in Key West and my 12v died, Tesla sent a tech from Miami (4 hours there / 4 hours back) to swap out the 12v

No issues with the service here. They go above and beyond.

-The 500 mile range is extremely attractive to me, are there any downsides to this particular model?

The only “downside” of the GT is that it has a slightly higher floor for the back seats due to extra battery. The seats lean back a little bit more to compensate. I don’t think anyone would say they aren’t extremely comfortable either way.

 

[Andretex]

I agree with the comments above. Just a few more thoughts.

- biggest issues with the car are minor software bugs. Not a big deal and Lucid is constantly sending updates over the air. If you do happen to have a bigger issue, then Lucid service will take care of it quickly. Service is just awesome. I only had an issue with two tires that vibrated due to flat spots. The tires were quickly replaced. No issues since then and I have 6,000 miles so far.
- 500 miles. Well, the GT will get you around 360-400 miles in real life driving. My touring has EPA of 420 miles and I get a safe 300-340 miles of range given my driving style and AC running all the time.
- no worries with company financials. Lucid is well capitalized with cash to last until 2025. I am sure they could raise more. The technology is too good to fail.

I bought a Touring because I was concerned about all these things also. My only regret is not getting the GT instead. The car is just awesome to drive. I love it!!

 

[Steveinarizona]

more seriously, the phone as key was always irritating to me. Others feel differently. I just switched to carrying the fob, now it’s fine.

I am probably an old curmudgeon. My phone works as a key (I know because I once raced out to a doctor's appointment without my fob and didn't realize that until I was leaving the doctor's office and reached into my pocket to move the fob out of the way for when I sat down. Oops no fob. Phone worked perfectly as a key.) but I don't trust it enough to risk being left stranded. So I carry the fob and the phone. It would be nice not to have the fob in my pocket but it is not a big deal to carry it. Over the years I have had/seen too many problems pop up on cell phones and computers to entirely trust the phone as a key.

 

[hmp10]

A few observations:

We traded our 2015 Model S P90D for a 2021 Model S Plaid which we still have. Then we added a Lucid Air Dream Performance.

After living eight years with a Tesla and two with a Lucid, we have bought our last Tesla, and we are anxiously waiting to take delivery on a Lucid Gravity as soon as it lands, at which time we will ditch the Tesla.

In terms of ride, handling, noise levels, room, comfort, and structural rigidity, the Lucid simply trounces the Tesla.

Even though Tesla software, although not problem-free, it still a notch above Lucid's, we have actually come to prefer the overall control suite of the Lucid due to its savvy use of tactile manual controls in the mix. It's actually an easier car for driver and front seat passenger to operate when underway.

When driving steady state at 80 mph on long trips, we have averaged about 72% of rated range in the Tesla and about 78-79% of rated range in the Lucid (both with 21" wheels).

 

[EXOTIC2]

There are some great deals on left over 2022 if still avail ( they be sold out)
You might reach out to one of the studios where you are and see what’s available. Good luck with the test drive. I’m sure you will really enjoy it. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

 

[Osprey22]

A few observations:

We traded our 2015 Model S P90D for a 2021 Model S Plaid which we still have. Then we added a Lucid Air Dream Performance.

After living eight years with a Tesla and two with a Lucid, we have bought our last Tesla, and we are anxiously waiting to take delivery on a Lucid Gravity as soon as it lands, at which time we will ditch the Tesla.

In terms of ride, handling, noise levels, room, comfort, and structural rigidity, the Lucid simply trounces the Tesla.

Even though Tesla software, although not problem-free, it still a notch above Lucid's, we have actually come to prefer the overall control suite of the Lucid due to its savvy use of tactile manual controls in the mix. It's actually an easier car for driver and front seat passenger to operate when underway.

When driving steady state at 80 mph on long trips, we have averaged about 72% of rated range in the Tesla and about 78-79% of rated range in the Lucid (both with 21" wheels).

How are you feeling about the ride/handling/comfort/noise? Pending my test drive this weekend I am really interested in your input since you understand the issues I experienced. The software I have realistic expectations of, nothing is problem free obviously, but how does it compare to the intuitiveness of Tesla? The control suite of Lucid definitely attracts me because of the manual controls and ones that my girlfriend (Pax 1 as I call her) to change the temp on her side of the car. If you would not mind elaborating I would appreciate it.

 

[Osprey22]

There are some great deals on left over 2022 if still avail ( they be sold out)
You might reach out to one of the studios where you are and see what’s available. Good luck with the test drive. I’m sure you will really enjoy it. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

While I am not an Electrify American (EA) fan, I have been browsing the internet and see some, do they still come with 2/3 years of free EA?

 

[hmp10]

How are you feeling about the ride/handling/comfort/noise? Pending my test drive this weekend I am really interested in your input since you understand the issues I experienced. The software I have realistic expectations of, nothing is problem free obviously, but how does it compare to the intuitiveness of Tesla? The control suite of Lucid definitely attracts me because of the manual controls and ones that my girlfriend (Pax 1 as I call her) to change the temp on her side of the car. If you would not mind elaborating I would appreciate it.

I guess I have a little trouble thinking of Tesla's software as intuitive. As the automatic gear selection function often gets confused, I find having to swipe the main screen to select forward or reverse more cumbersome than a quick tap of the lever in our first Tesla and our Lucid. I find adjusting Tesla air vents by having to bring up a screen menu more cumbersome than just reaching out to the tab on the Lucid vents -- and also more difficult to do when the Tesla is moving. I find having to locate the tiny black buttons on the black steering yoke (or wheel) to activate turn signals a real annoyance in the Tesla, especially as they are so counter-intuitively placed. As a passenger, I find it almost impossible precisely to adjust audio volume by bringing up and then adjusting a slider bar in the moving Tesla. When parking the Tesla, I sorely miss the highly-detailed birds-eye view in the Lucid. When navigating to new addresses in heavily built up areas, I like being able to display both a zoomed-out and a zoomed-in satellite view simultaneously on the Lucid's dual screens so that I don't have to zoom in manually as I approach the destination on the Tesla's single screen.

I cannot comment on the ADAS systems in either car (we didn't opt for FSD in the Tesla), as I like to drive and almost never use them, even on long road trips.

Our Plaid was delivered with active noise cancellation not yet enabled. When it was later enabled through an OTA update, we noticed no difference in ambient cabin noise. With or without, the Plaid is noisier than the Lucid.

At over 20,000 miles the body structure of the Air remains rock solid. By 10,000 miles the Tesla was developing squeaks and groans in the rear quarter panels.

Although the Paid is a tick quicker than the Air Dream P, the power in the Air is actually more usable as the front end of the car stays better planted under hard acceleration than the Tesla.

Lucid absolutely slays the Tesla on interior room, both front and back. With the driver seat set to my preferred driving position in both cars, there is 9.5" more fore/aft rear legroom in the Lucid than in the Tesla. (We have the larger battery pack in the Lucid. With the smaller pack of the Touring, the footwells are 3.15" lower, even further enhancing rear seat comfort in the Lucid compared to the Tesla.)

The front seats of the Lucid are much more comfortable than the Tesla, in part due to their greater width, thigh support extension, and greater adjustability. In fact, the whole cabin of the Air feels wider than the Lucid due to the clever scooping out of the door panels.

 

[Osprey22]

I guess I have a little trouble thinking of Tesla's software as intuitive. As the automatic gear selection function often gets confused, I find having to swipe the main screen to select forward or reverse more cumbersome than a quick tap of the lever in our first Tesla and our Lucid. I find adjusting Tesla air vents by having to bring up a screen menu more cumbersome than just reaching out to the tab on the Lucid vents -- and also more difficult to do when the Tesla is moving. I find having to locate the tiny black buttons on the black steering yoke (or wheel) to activate turn signals a real annoyance in the Tesla, especially as they are so counter-intuitively placed. As a passenger, I find it almost impossible precisely to adjust audio volume by bringing up and then adjusting a slider bar in the moving Tesla. When parking the Tesla, I sorely miss the highly-detailed birds-eye view in the Lucid. When navigating to new addresses in heavily built up areas, I like being able to display both a zoomed-out and a zoomed-in satellite view simultaneously on the Lucid's dual screens so that I don't have to zoom in manually as I approach the destination on the Tesla's single screen.

I cannot comment on the ADAS systems in either car (we didn't opt for FSD in the Tesla), as I like to drive and almost never use them, even on long road trips.

Our Plaid was delivered with active noise cancellation not yet enabled. When it was later enabled through an OTA update, we noticed no difference in ambient cabin noise. With or without, the Plaid is noisier than the Lucid.

At over 20,000 miles the body structure of the Air remains rock solid. By 10,000 miles the Tesla was developing squeaks and groans in the rear quarter panels.

Although the Paid is a tick quicker than the Air Dream P, the power in the Air is actually more usable as the front end of the car stays better planted under hard acceleration than the Tesla.

Lucid absolutely slays the Tesla on interior room, both front and back. With the driver seat set to my preferred driving position in both cars, there is 9.5" more fore/aft rear legroom in the Lucid than in the Tesla. (We have the larger battery pack in the Lucid. With the smaller pack of the Touring, the footwells are 3.15" lower, even further enhancing rear seat comfort in the Lucid compared to the Tesla.)

The front seats of the Lucid are much more comfortable than the Tesla, in part due to their greater width, thigh support extension, and greater adjustability. In fact, the whole cabin of the Air feels wider than the Lucid due to the clever scooping out of the door panels.

You reminded me of another question, so I never bought EAP (obvious reasons) but when the "cruise control" that the Tesla basically comes with, is that included in the Air GT or did you need to pay extra for that basic system? I feel you in the depths of my soul regarding the creaks/squeaks...

That is good to hear about the seats, Christ if I bitch about one thing it is the seats. I need some degree of comfort and Tesla's do NOT provide it. I am 5'8 190 pounds so I need to have that leg room as well haha.

 

[KidRich]

How are you feeling about the ride/handling/comfort/noise? Pending my test drive this weekend I am really interested in your input since you understand the issues I experienced. The software I have realistic expectations of, nothing is problem free obviously, but how does it compare to the intuitiveness of Tesla? The control suite of Lucid definitely attracts me because of the manual controls and ones that my girlfriend (Pax 1 as I call her) to change the temp on her side of the car. If you would not mind elaborating I would appreciate it.

From my experience with the purchase of my Lucid Air Pure, it seems like you are sufficiently tired of Tesla to be open to what many of us who have bought into Lucid Motors are simply ecstatic about the company, the people running it, the quality and workmanship of the product, its performance, value, and efficiency.

For a new car company, its first electric vehicle has set a new benchmark in the automotive industry. The car is damn near bulletproof. It is serenely quiet, powerful, and a joy to drive.

I hope you have an exhilarating test drive.

 

[hmp10]

You reminded me of another question, so I never bought EAP (obvious reasons) but when the "cruise control" that the Tesla basically comes with, is that included in the Air GT or did you need to pay extra for that basic system? I feel you in the depths of my soul regarding the creaks/squeaks...

I have paid so little attention to the ADAS in the Lucid that it would be better to let someone else answer those questions for you.

I had a sour experience with Tesla on this score. When I bought the first Tesla in 2015, I paid $3,000 for "Enhanced Autopilot", their most advanced ADAS at the time. Over the ensuing few years, Tesla removed one feature after another -- some because suspicions about their safety grew and some because they migrated the feature to the new FSD option and removed it from owners who thought they had bought it. (It turned out we just licensed it, although that was found only in the small print.)

Initially the Tesla system would operate on any road with clear center and side markings. It was later geo-fenced just to major highways, mostly interstates. Initially, it could be set to operate at any speed. That was reduced to 5 mph over the speed limit (something that would get you rear-ended in Florida). Then automatic lane change (activated with the turn signal) was removed. I decided at that point never again to pay extra for any Tesla software option.

 

[Dsk101867]

Hi Osprey,

I just got the Air Pure last week, from a model 3 LR. The car drives like a dream - made me realize how rough the 3 suspension was. My 3 also had a bunch of creaks and annoying noises, the Lucid is feels a lot more solid. Handling is amazing, tons of legroom, car is a class above the 3.

There are negatives though - the tech in the Lucid is WAY behind Tesla IMO. When you open the app, it takes over 30 seconds minimum for the car to wake up (about 6-7x longer than Tesla). You need dreamdrive pro to get something similar to Autopilot - and IMO it is not as steady as Tesla, the car kind of pingpongs in the lane, and on a couple of minor highway curves I had to grab the wheel.

Maybe the biggest thing I just recently noticed - the car does not have a heat pump. It takes a long time to heat the car, and it uses a few points of battery. In fairness, here in Jersey we are having ridiculously cold temps, so it's outside the norm - but it is noticeable. And no option to turn on the seats/wheel heat from the app.

Negatives aside, my Pure is an amazing car, and I'm thrilled with it. I feel like I finally got a 'grown-up' car. I strongly recommend you take a test drive and see; I needed a second test drive before I was convinced. I'm at 500+ miles in a week of ownership, I'll write a more detailed post when I hit 1,000.

One more side note - my M3LR was a 2021, and the tech is WAY different today than it was from 3 years ago - using that same logic, I expect Lucid will be adding a lot of features over the next few years to close the gap.

 

[segbrk]

You reminded me of another question, so I never bought EAP (obvious reasons) but when the "cruise control" that the Tesla basically comes with, is that included in the Air GT or did you need to pay extra for that basic system? I feel you in the depths of my soul regarding the creaks/squeaks...

That is good to hear about the seats, Christ if I bitch about one thing it is the seats. I need some degree of comfort and Tesla's do NOT provide it. I am 5'8 190 pounds so I need to have that leg room as well haha.

All trims/configurations come with adaptive cruise control. You need DreamDrive Pro to get Highway Assist, which is just automatic lane keeping. It is geofenced so you cannot activate it except on highways without traffic lights (in theory). There's no automatic lane changing, passing, highway exiting, or anything else like that currently. Other features are coming Eventually, but you know how that goes. There are no subscription features currently, DreamDrive Pro is a one-time purchase. I believe partway through 2023 Lucid started actually rolling cars off the line without all the sensors for DDP, prior to that any car could have DDP turned on in software. Make sure you look for that if you're buying inventory or used.

I'll also agree with a comment above, one of my only regrets about this car is that I didn't get the GT. Mainly just for the massage seats. They're extremely comfortable in the Touring, but man, I could use that extra pampering.

 

[hmp10]

One more comparative factor: suspension and ride compliance.

The Air uses a coil spring / semi-active damper setup while the Model S uses an air suspension. Yet the Air easily betters the Tesla in terms both of control and ride compliance.

The Air's ride reminds me of the Mercedes and Audis I've owned -- taut yet comfortable, with a sense of controlled solidity.

The Tesla's ride reminds me of a C5 Corvette I owned -- a buckboard, with a lot of stiffness but a lessened sense of control.

One of the jabs people take at the Lucid is its conventional rear trunk instead of Tesla's taller hatchback opening. Lucid did that for a reason: the structural rigidity provided by the large beam across the rear opening. Car bodies actually function as a spring, and the Model S has always had subpar torsional rigidity. The more the body flexes, the firmer the suspension settings required to maintain a given level of control. Lucid leverages the Air's high torsional stiffness to enable softer suspension settings while still providing superb control.

 

[segbrk]

You need dreamdrive pro to get something similar to Autopilot - and IMO it is not as steady as Tesla, the car kind of pingpongs in the lane, and on a couple of minor highway curves I had to grab the wheel.

Get that checked out. There should be no pingponging, but some people have had to get their sensors recalibrated to fix that.

 

[Osprey22]

Hi Osprey,

I just got the Air Pure last week, from a model 3 LR. The car drives like a dream - made me realize how rough the 3 suspension was. My 3 also had a bunch of creaks and annoying noises, the Lucid is feels a lot more solid. Handling is amazing, tons of legroom, car is a class above the 3.

There are negatives though - the tech in the Lucid is WAY behind Tesla IMO. When you open the app, it takes over 30 seconds minimum for the car to wake up (about 6-7x longer than Tesla). You need dreamdrive pro to get something similar to Autopilot - and IMO it is not as steady as Tesla, the car kind of pingpongs in the lane, and on a couple of minor highway curves I had to grab the wheel.

Maybe the biggest thing I just recently noticed - the car does not have a heat pump. It takes a long time to heat the car, and it uses a few points of battery. In fairness, here in Jersey we are having ridiculously cold temps, so it's outside the norm - but it is noticeable. And no option to turn on the seats/wheel heat from the app.

Negatives aside, my Pure is an amazing car, and I'm thrilled with it. I feel like I finally got a 'grown-up' car. I strongly recommend you take a test drive and see; I needed a second test drive before I was convinced. I'm at 500+ miles in a week of ownership, I'll write a more detailed post when I hit 1,000.

One more side note - my M3LR was a 2021, and the tech is WAY different today than it was from 3 years ago - using that same logic, I expect Lucid will be adding a lot of features over the next few years to close the gap.

You hit on an important thing for me, heat pump. Do any of the models have a heat pump in them?

Believe it or not I have to open/close the Tesla app 6-7 times just to take up my car so waiting 30 seconds is fine by me. Interesting take on the "autopilot" I will have to watch a few videos and educate myself. I also find myself going up to Jersey quite a bit (Pax 1 has her family up there lol) so some degree of autopilot would be nice but as I said I must educate myself.

I am looking forward to Lucid's tech to see what they will do, just need that NACS adoption to come a bit quicker

 

[Osprey22]

One more comparative factor: suspension and ride compliance.

The Air uses a coil spring / semi-active damper setup while the Model S uses an air suspension. Yet the Air easily betters the Tesla in terms both of control and ride compliance.

The Air's ride reminds me of the Mercedes and Audis I've owned -- taut yet comfortable, with a sense of controlled solidity.

The Tesla's ride reminds me of a C5 Corvette I owned -- a buckboard, with a lot of stiffness but a lessened sense of control.

One of the jabs people take at the Lucid is its conventional rear trunk instead of Tesla's taller hatchback opening. Lucid did that for a reason: the structural rigidity provided by the large beam across the rear opening. Car bodies actually function as a spring, and the Model S has always had subpar torsional rigidity. The more the body flexes, the firmer the suspension settings required to maintain a given level of control. Lucid leverages the Air's high torsional stiffness to enable softer suspension settings while still providing superb control.

These 3 things are exactly what I am looking for. Well compared.