Update 2.8.7 Improves Lucid Air Dream Drive

bmathieu

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Lucid Air GT
[Update on my ratings for Lucid Aid Drive Automation technology: Now B+] For those have been following along, my ratings on this category have been jumping around quite a bit over the last year. I’m happy to report that, with the last software update (v 2.8.7) the usability of Hands-Free Drive Assist has improved considerably. I reported in my previous update significant issues with an over-sensitive system for face and eye tracking that made the hands-free system almost unusable. After reporting this to Lucid they requested more info and - presto! - 2 weeks later an update arrives that fixes this issue. I can now actually drink a coffee or do a shoulder check for safety or even look at a passenger for a couple of seconds without the blinking warnings and eventual system shutoff. Of course the system is still far behind Tesla FSD but at least it is now working as intended. Thank you Lucid Motors! Keep the updates coming. My complete review can be found in the doc below: https://tinyurl.com/lucidairjourney
 
While I have only passed a few examples as of today (2.8.9) I noticed that the car didn't seem to get confused when passing off-ramps with DD hands-off engaged. Usually I had to grab the wheel when passing off-ramps as the car would often lurch right and left as the off-ramp approached. Today that didn't happen.
 
That's great news. That issue really annoyed me (and scared my passengers).
 
Have lots of highway driving ahead today, I'll report results after passing many more off-ramps. Part of the problem, (I believe) is that many painted lines have faded and are hard to detect by the cameras, especially here in Colorado where snow treatments erode the lines quickly. I'll see how the car behaves with well-defined lines on a clear day.
BTW, really enjoyed your in-depth review of the car's behavior. I love the design, performance, range(!), and sound system. I have an Air GT loaded with all options except for the CC2. I do, however, have serious issues with corporate response to expensive problems that were not of my doing. Also, four days after delivery of my car, Lucid dropped the price of my model by $20,000. When I called them about this asking for some consideration for this equity loss, they told me to pack sand. The car was delivered to me with the tire pressure computer programmed for 41lbs instead of 49 (or 51, depending on where you read it) for the 19" wheels. The car also had the door badge set with the WRONG pressure. So, I drove the car for 11,000 miles 10lbs under-inflated. It came to light when one tire failed and the others were worn 1/32nd away from legal limit, so all four needed replacement. I drive the car like an "old lady" as I'm a range and efficiency geek. I asked them for some help for this improperly delivered car on the premature failure. I was told they have no responsibility for tire wear. I have driving 11,000 miles since the new tires at PROPER pressure, and have lots of tread left. Also, I drove the car about 80 miles in light snow on a treated highway, at 20 degrees temperature. Unbeknownst to me, ice was building up in the wheel wells and COMPLETELY filled them leaving no gaps for suspension movement. When I reached my destination the wells were packed with hard snow. When I went to a car wash and melted if off, I discovered the well covers were completely fractured and most attachment points broken. Calls to customer service yielded sympathy and promise to escalate to management for a decision. I received complete "crickets" from their so-called "management" and finally had to pay $750 to have the repair done. Several calls to Customer Service on all of these issues yielded nothing but promises. This started in July, and I have yet to hear a single thing. There are some other issues I won't bore you with here. I never asked for cash in any of it... perhaps another year of charging, or a free CC2, and maybe have the warranty cover that $750.... But nothing! I even referred an Air GT buyer who bought a car, which didn't seem to matter to them either. BTW, the Owners Manual says nothing about possible damage from driving in snow conditions. I've driven Mercedes products for 45 years and NEVER been ignored like this. I was planning to make my household a 2-Lucid family, but have paused that for now. Thanks again for your great summary of the car's performance.
 
That's great news. That issue really annoyed me (and scared my passengers).
Well, as promised, I'll give you my impressions of a long drive today.... DD Pro enhancements that have evolved from "jerky" to velvet smooth lane-keeping and not trying to get all confused at off-ramps. Good on all counts. I used to grab the wheel and "hang on for dear life" as the car couldn't decide how to handle off-ramps, as well as putting cars ahead of me on the right lane HALF-WAY in to my lane which resulted in near emergency braking. Today I felt nothing more than an occasional niggle at an off-ramp, and wouldn't have noticed unless I was looking for it. I'm still pleased with the range too. I left my mountain from 9,000 feet to 5,000-ish feet. Drove around at that elevation for about 80 miles at speeds between some stop & go to 75mph. Most of it was highway with averaging around 60-65. Temperature averaged about 50 degrees F. When business was completed I climbed back up the mountain to my driveway which is at 9,030 feet. Total trip came to 4.35 miles per kwh on a 97 mile day total. After today, I'm convinced that ultimate regen has been reduced. Yes, it now has smoother onset, but ultimate regen is a bit less. The car does not slow down as fast as it used to. While I miss the higher deceleration, I'm pretty sure it's a good thing for battery life. Rechargeable deep-cycle batteries (of any chemistry, except perhaps NiCad) can safely discharge much faster than they should receive energy. You can easily force them to take excess power, but it's not healthy for them in the long term. I'm guessing that Lucid is engaging in some battery-life work here. The rate this 5,200lb car used to slow down translates to many many kilowatts. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure it's more than the 350kw this car is certified to take from a charging station. I'm okay with the change and will simply adjust anticipation times. Besides battery health, massive energy delivery produces higher "I-squared R" losses in the system, so besides stressing the battery with those huge currents, less of it gets turned in to useful energy storage and lost to heating in the motors, inverters, and cables.
 
Thanks for both your updates DO. I agree with you that regen braking has been dialed back. I look forward to testing the (lack of) off ramp jerkiness for myself. BTW I had the identical experience with you on the tires and tire pressure. Before I bought it they switched my vehicle to 19's but didn't change the sticker. Not good.
 
Just got this magnificent Gravity yesterday after 13 years driving Teslas, including one of the first Model S in 2012 (S/N 183 “Signature”).
Big differences: The Gravity’s ride is awesome, and the driver controls/interface network is far, far better. At last, the real estate battle between on-screen navigation and on-screen entertainment is OVER - one screen for each!
My question to owners is dumb - how do I engage DD Pro, or have I already been doing so with a double tap? Is Pro the same as DD non-Pro?
 
Have to fix the “Cars” in my profile. The Porsche is the wife;s car - mine is a Gravity GT! Is this the right thread?
 
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