What would you like to see from the Lucid mobile app?

[duc900]

Not right now, no

Yeah, it needs to be resolved with an option for more drivers. In the meantime, I just downloaded the app and use the same login credentials on my wife's phone. To date, I think it grabs the profile from the fob while approaching before the mobile key. But my wife has only driven it once or twice so that might not be a reliable solution.

 

[hydbob]

Yeah, it needs to be resolved with an option for more drivers. In the meantime, I just downloaded the app and use the same login credentials on my wife's phone. To date, I think it grabs the profile from the fob while approaching before the mobile key. But my wife has only driven it once or twice so that might not be a reliable solution.

Did the same for my dad, but we both use the fob instead of mobile key, so no issue for us.

 

[njg-agt]

This app & driver count problem is much larger than explored so far...
time for the UX team to be asking some hard questions "usage model" far beyond just the app...
A few issues that stand out just from recent discussion here, most I've listed are of the "multiple to 1 or more" class of problems, but I'm sure that a full UM analysis will reveal many other cases too...

Each "user" (person) should always get their own authentication (userid & password), so they can change that password as needed without affecting other users... sharing one login is never a good idea. This is "access control 101".

Each instance of an app needs to be able to control multiple instances of the car... I believe I've already read that some folks have ordered more than one (and if not, it is still a clear and obvious need if the company is planning for success... for instance the SA order for 100K cars ;-). Plan for success.

Each instance of a car needs to be able to be controlled (unlocked/locked/pre-conditioned/HVAC/etc) by multiple instances (at least "2", but not just "2") of the app. An ex-co-worker was part of a "five-some", and their car juggling was always its own (relatively minor) challenge... the instances of trupples, and live-in parents, "children", and work partners (company car, etc) who share the vehicle is far broader than just "a couple". Cars are for families (and more).

We have already read of the small to large driver transition problem, but it seems much larger than just the mentioned issue of a large configured driver as it exists for the case of just small drivers when others (configured drivers and not) need to get in the driver's seat (maintenance, valet, etc)... I could see something like usage of a valet card automatically pre-adjusting the seat to a default "large driver" position before it even knows who the driver is... but the full problem is far broader (should those external cameras come to play in this?). People come in many sizes and shapes.

And the "many to one" problem also exists for the driver profiles. As I understand it (we don't yet have our car), a configured driver is recognized by facial image analysis... I see that failing big time for my own usage model... most of the time I'll climb in with some sort of sunglasses on (ok, that should work) and sometimes with no sunglasses (hopefully that will work), sometimes I have a full, bushy beard but sometimes I don't... but come winter, half the time I'll have 10% light transmission (or less) sunglasses on and a balaclava (no face there to recognize). So, I hope "the car" has remembered the "many faces of me" over multiple seasons... People have many faces.

Ah, would that it was so easy to recognize drivers by facial recognition... how will the car behave when there are configured drivers that are identical twins (they occur in roughly 0.3% of births)? Multiple people can have the same face.

 

[HC_79]

The App and the car don't seem to talk to each other very well. If you set the climate control on the phone then you can see it's working but if you set the climate control timer on in the car and go into the app it doesn't show you the climate control is running. Given it's a 45 min time limit on the climate control it would be nice to see it in the app so if you're away from the car longer you can see its off in the app and then turn it on again.

I agree, the multiple users need to be addressed. I work in IT and password sharing is a big no no! Plus the primary owner should be able to see who has access to the car and add and remove people as necessary.

 

[joec]

This app & driver count problem is much larger than explored so far...
time for the UX team to be asking some hard questions "usage model" far beyond just the app...
A few issues that stand out just from recent discussion here, most I've listed are of the "multiple to 1 or more" class of problems, but I'm sure that a full UM analysis will reveal many other cases too...

Each "user" (person) should always get their own authentication (userid & password), so they can change that password as needed without affecting other users... sharing one login is never a good idea. This is "access control 101".

Each instance of an app needs to be able to control multiple instances of the car... I believe I've already read that some folks have ordered more than one (and if not, it is still a clear and obvious need if the company is planning for success... for instance the SA order for 100K cars ;-). Plan for success.

Each instance of a car needs to be able to be controlled (unlocked/locked/pre-conditioned/HVAC/etc) by multiple instances (at least "2", but not just "2") of the app. An ex-co-worker was part of a "five-some", and their car juggling was always its own (relatively minor) challenge... the instances of trupples, and live-in parents, "children", and work partners (company car, etc) who share the vehicle is far broader than just "a couple". Cars are for families (and more).

We have already read of the small to large driver transition problem, but it seems much larger than just the mentioned issue of a large configured driver as it exists for the case of just small drivers when others (configured drivers and not) need to get in the driver's seat (maintenance, valet, etc)... I could see something like usage of a valet card automatically pre-adjusting the seat to a default "large driver" position before it even knows who the driver is... but the full problem is far broader (should those external cameras come to play in this?). People come in many sizes and shapes.

And the "many to one" problem also exists for the driver profiles. As I understand it (we don't yet have our car), a configured driver is recognized by facial image analysis... I see that failing big time for my own usage model... most of the time I'll climb in with some sort of sunglasses on (ok, that should work) and sometimes with no sunglasses (hopefully that will work), sometimes I have a full, bushy beard but sometimes I don't... but come winter, half the time I'll have 10% light transmission (or less) sunglasses on and a balaclava (no face there to recognize). So, I hope "the car" has remembered the "many faces of me" over multiple seasons... People have many faces.

Ah, would that it was so easy to recognize drivers by facial recognition... how will the car behave when there are configured drivers that are identical twins (they occur in roughly 0.3% of births)? Multiple people can have the same face.

All very good notes here. Never share a single account when you really need two!

I am particularly concerned about the small / large driver problem, as it has become a real issue with my Tesla.

The Tesla, at least, attempts to set the profile by the phone or keycard that unlocked the car. Keycard is obviously reliable, but when we both walk up to the car, bluetooth makes deciding which phone is which very difficult. It gets the profile right roughly 70% of the time, which is not terrible. But sometimes, if I am driving, then step out of the car to go to a store, then get back in, the car will switch to her profile, even after I've sat down, thus putting me in a Star-Wars trash compactor type of scenario, where I frantically hunt for the profile button to switch back to me.

On the Lucid, my understanding is that profile is ONLY done by face login. (Someone please correct me if that's wrong.) That should prevent the crushing scenario, at least. But it sets the seat way too late, as I have to be sitting down in order for the seat to move at all. An Easy Entry type of default setting doesn't help here, either, because there is no one seating position where either of us could sit down and reach the screen or pedals.

My car should know who is driving and set the profile accordingly by the time the driver gets to the driver's side door, in other words. However that is achieved.

At the very least, being able to manually set the profile from the app would help. At best, something like Apple Car Key could help identify which phone is actually on the driver's side. I believe there is an equivalent for Android phones, as well?

Love the idea of a default valet profile, too.

Cars have many users, indeed. Even if I have house sitters and want them to be able to use my car temporarily, I should be able to accommodate that via the app.

 

[hydbob]

All very good notes here. Never share a single account when you really need two!

I am particularly concerned about the small / large driver problem, as it has become a real issue with my Tesla.

The Tesla, at least, attempts to set the profile by the phone or keycard that unlocked the car. Keycard is obviously reliable, but when we both walk up to the car, bluetooth makes deciding which phone is which very difficult. It gets the profile right roughly 70% of the time, which is not terrible. But sometimes, if I am driving, then step out of the car to go to a store, then get back in, the car will switch to her profile, even after I've sat down, thus putting me in a Star-Wars trash compactor type of scenario, where I frantically hunt for the profile button to switch back to me.

On the Lucid, my understanding is that profile is ONLY done by face login. (Someone please correct me if that's wrong.) That should prevent the crushing scenario, at least. But it sets the seat way too late, as I have to be sitting down in order for the seat to move at all. An Easy Entry type of default setting doesn't help here, either, because there is no one seating position where either of us could sit down and reach the screen or pedals.

My car should know who is driving and set the profile accordingly by the time the driver gets to the driver's side door, in other words. However that is achieved.

At the very least, being able to manually set the profile from the app would help. At best, something like Apple Car Key could help identify which phone is actually on the driver's side. I believe there is an equivalent for Android phones, as well?

Love the idea of a default valet profile, too.

Cars have many users, indeed. Even if I have house sitters and want them to be able to use my car temporarily, I should be able to accommodate that via the app.

You can set profile by FOB as well

 

[joec]

You can set profile by FOB as well

That's good to know. And you get two fobs with the car, I'm assuming?

I'd prefer to use my phone to lock/unlock, just because the fob is "one more thing" to carry, forget, lose, replace battery, etc. But that will do in a pinch.

Honestly, I'd probably use the key card, as at least that will always be in my wallet.

 

[njg-agt]

Indeed, our plan was to use the phone app in combo with carrying the valet card as a backup... zero fob usage (it would just be "one more thing" in the pockets, and when I'm off on a bicycle ride or hiking that is the last thing I want). The more I read here, it seems like time and time again it comes back to "the fob" is the "one ring to control them all" answer... sigh. As Nancy told us: Fobs, just say no.

 

[joec]

Indeed, our plan was to use the phone app in combo with carrying the valet card as a backup... zero fob usage (it would just be "one more thing" in the pockets, and when I'm off on a bicycle ride or hiking that is the last thing I want). The more I read here, it seems like time and time again it comes back to "the fob" is the "one ring to control them all" answer... sigh. As Nancy told us: Fobs, just say no.

How am I going to self-actualize if I can't keep getting closer to the dream of carrying my phone, and only my phone, for the rest of my life?

 

[Pete44]

Indeed, our plan was to use the phone app in combo with carrying the valet card as a backup... zero fob usage (it would just be "one more thing" in the pockets, and when I'm off on a bicycle ride or hiking that is the last thing I want). The more I read here, it seems like time and time again it comes back to "the fob" is the "one ring to control them all" answer... sigh. As Nancy told us: Fobs, just say no.

I've never used the fob in the 2 months I've had the car. I've gone with your plan (phone and valet card) and never have had a serious problem.

 

[njg-agt]

As I understand it, it is important (at least helpful) to "prepare" the battery temperature before driving...
and as a human being, it is also nice to prepare the interior temperature before driving...
which leads me to wishing that the app was "calendar aware"...
I live in the Android/Google world, and the system there is already be "calendar aware". Google Assistant will suggest that I "leave now" to make an appointment that has a non-local location (figuring out on the fly based upon traffic conditions and the event time and location when to pop that notification).

I'd like the Lucid app to do similarly for the car...
for any calendar event that has a location that is driving distance from my current location, do the navigation & math to pop a notification asking if it can optionally do either of:
- condition the battery for driving
- condition the interior temperature to be warmed/cooled to be within an app configurable range of x to y, like between "60F & 80F" (e.g. if 30F inside the car, heat it up to 60F inside, and if it is 100F in the car, cool it down to 80F, etc).

The app would be expected to figure out when to start each, and thus when to pop the notification (e.g. a "couple" minutes before it needs to get the car started on the process). And, because sometimes the calendar event is actually when I need to leave, I should be able to tell the app "be ready at the calendar event time" rather than having it target the calculated time based upon current nav projections.

As this would only occur for events that are on the phone's calendar, it is already multi-user aware... once the app is multi-car aware it would need to know which car to prepare. Likewise, I should be able to just dismiss the notification with nothing being done.

Hey, this is a luxury car... we can expect the app to provide us with a luxury experience...

 

[Tesla2.0]

If a phone can have bluetooth & wifi & cell reception on with many day standby, then so can a >100KWh car... the drain isn't that significant.

I don’t think it is significant. In a very hot Texas garage, my GT only lost 7% in 17 days away. I left at 89%, I woke her up to check 4 times in between.

 

[Vijay]

You can set profile by FOB as well

Indeed you can ..but what's the point of the app if 2 people share the car. As mentioned in the thread a FOB is just something extra to carry. With all the technology and brainpower this should be something that can be easily addressed rather than constantly referring the owners to the FOB!!

 

[Bunnylebowski]

My wife is afraid to drive the Lucid, when/if it arrives.

Yeah I think if it was an emergency she’d get an Uber rather than drive the Lucid.

 

[Demosthenes]

I've never used the fob in the 2 months I've had the car. I've gone with your plan (phone and valet card) and never have had a serious problem.

I do this as well and it works typically very well but the one failure is when you want to access the front trunk. The app communicating with the car can be slow so causes a small delay if you don’t have the fob on you.

 

[joec]

I do this as well and it works typically very well but the one failure is when you want to access the front trunk. The app communicating with the car can be slow so causes a small delay if you don’t have the fob on you.

This was true of my Tesla until about a year ago, too. Then they released an app update that made opening the Frunk/ Trunk almost instantaneous. Not sure how they pulled that off, as waking up the rest of the car still takes several seconds from the app. But just a select few actions, they managed to make quick enough to be acceptable. Hope Lucid has that on their radar for a future release.

 

[Tesla2.0]

App desire feature:

- remote trigger panic alarm
- have recent drive history and session summary of power consumption statistical info
- have more summary history of EA sessions

 

[Demosthenes]

This was true of my Tesla until about a year ago, too. Then they released an app update that made opening the Frunk/ Trunk almost instantaneous. Not sure how they pulled that off, as waking up the rest of the car still takes several seconds from the app. But just a select few actions, they managed to make quick enough to be acceptable. Hope Lucid has that on their radar for a future release.

Wow that would actually be great! Didn’t even think of that being possible. Hope lucid does something similar.

 

[njg-agt]

This was true of my Tesla until about a year ago, too. Then they released an app update that made opening the Frunk/ Trunk almost instantaneous. Not sure how they pulled that off, as waking up the rest of the car still takes several seconds from the app. But just a select few actions, they managed to make quick enough to be acceptable. Hope Lucid has that on their radar for a future release.

I thought the app used both BT and IP to communicate with the car... I would expect it would (if connected) use BT for things that you do when you are near the car, including unlocking and opening things, in which case (when BT connected) I'd expect very low latency (as you get for things like voice communications). But even if it is using IP (the cell network or WIFI), I'd still expect sub-second latency for those operations (even in the cell tower data path case). My conclusion would be that if these are high latency operations, then the issues likely lay within the car & its programming (SWAG).

 

[joec]

I thought the app used both BT and IP to communicate with the car... I would expect it would (if connected) use BT for things that you do when you are near the car, including unlocking and opening things, in which case (when BT connected) I'd expect very low latency (as you get for things like voice communications). But even if it is using IP (the cell network or WIFI), I'd still expect sub-second latency for those operations (even in the cell tower data path case). My conclusion would be that if these are high latency operations, then the issues likely lay within the car & its programming (SWAG).

Yeah, I don't think it's getting the signal to the car. I think it's a question of the "deep sleep" the Tesla goes into when you have not gone near it in a while. The car doesn't shut down, but it hibernates as much as possible to save battery. That wake up is what seems to take a long time. (As opposed to a MacBook or an iPad, which wakes instantly.) I suspect there are ways to minimize that wake up time, and Tesla figured it out for that subset of tasks. Maybe those systems come online first? I imagine once the foundations of their software are improved, Lucid will figure it out as well.