Winter Weather/Snow/Ice Best Practices?

[MacBain00]

I have a Lucid AT with a glass canopy. Asking the experienced drivers in North(East) who've dealt with cleaning the car in an open parking lot, driving in light and heavy snow, etc. what your experience has been and what (if any) cleaning/best practices do you have. We got our first minor snowstorm here in NJ and figured it was a good time to ask. A quick, cursory search didn't find anything specific outside of using snow/winter tires which is probably a good thing.

Some questions that came to mind

• Is there any accumulation experienced on the headlight bar when driving where you had to stop and clean it? There is a lip there and it seems like an ideal place for snow/slush/ice to gather while driving.
• Any concerns with accumulation left on the glass canopy? Of course clean the car, but in heavy snow, I imagine it will start sticking to the top
• Since the car doesn't have an engine block to keep the front of the car warm, any issues with snow sticking to hood?
• How do the cameras react to being covered in snow? Are you constantly being alerted to clear them while driving? Do they outright fail? How about the distance sensors?
• How does the glass canopy handle ice forming due to cold weather? I'm assuming the front defroster does just fine for the windshield and you can wipe away the water. Any concerns with the roof?
• We've had ice storms in the past and I've had to pull on my ICE car handle to break it. Lucid's handles are electronic. Has anyone experienced them not opening?

Any feedback/best practices on your winter weather experience is very much appreciated.

 

[Kevo]

I can't speak to the temperatures you have there, but we got down in the low 20s last night and had rain ice the car over. It's about as bad as it gets here except the off chance of snow. I'm sure your area is faar different, just adding my experience.

First thing I noticed was the handles crack the hell out of the ice when I walked up. They were loud. I am not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I had no issues getting into the car at least.

The ice on the glass canopy was melted enough to fall off within a mile of my drive, though I'd imagine with snow and such it would just fly towards the person behind me, so I'd be sure to clean that off before leaving like any other car. But there was no issue with it being "stuck".

Ice stuck to the hood for my whole drive until the sun started melting it. I did notice it occasionally flying off, which again is probably a detriment in your area, but mine were tiny little dime or nickel sized thin pieces, so I wasn't worried about it.

 

[kort6776]

beyond putting proper snow tires onto the car, clearing the car of accumulation of snow, I don't believe that there is anything special that needs to be done just because it is a Lucid

 

[segbrk]

I'm not all the way in the North East, but my car is currently buried under snow, so some answers:

What I do to avoid most of the problems you're asking about is, I carry my outdoor cover with me and put it on if I think there's a chance of frosty weather coming. When I'm ready to drive away, whatever snow or ice is on there just gets thrown in a pile on the ground as I roll the cover off. No brushes scratching the paint, no scrapers on the windows, it's ready to go.

I have not had any issues with snow/slush accumulation while driving, but I know others with more extreme winters have. Cameras and LiDAR will get blocked, the car will warn you and most likely disable Highway Assist / Adaptive Cruise Control, but it's not going to yell at you constantly or anything. For me the 360 view has always been a decent parking aid regardless of one or two blocked cameras because there are just so many cameras to fill the gap.

• We've had ice storms in the past and I've had to pull on my ICE car handle to break it. Lucid's handles are electronic. Has anyone experienced them not opening?

Yes, they can absolutely freeze shut and the motors that open them get very unhappy. If you can't keep the car covered to keep moisture out, maybe pour warm water on/around all of the handles and the mirror hinges before unlocking the car.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Same as an AWD ICE car, only better. Cameras and LIDAR will need periodic clearing...radar doesn;t work well in any precipitation.

Snow accumulation on headlights are countered by intense heat ? ... we'll see.

...can't say what will happen to light bar when behind trucks, etc. on pike and that slushy, frozen, salty, gritty crap glues itself to the front of the car.

One thing you can count on is front air louvers to freeze and make a clicking sound. Don't need snow or ice to freeze the louvers = just cold.
It goes away after the car warms. I haven't heard that this is a problem, but it sure sounds like one. It sounds like the cam that moves the levers has a "fail-safe" and won't damage itself ... but it doesn't stop until it thaws. Borski assures us that even though it's a California / Arizona car they did take one to Tahoe one winter and drove it around on a plowed lot, which is exactly the same as driving the PA turnpike in a snowstorm. /s

If it ever snows in Philly again I will post photos of the grey-black, gritty, salty, frozen ice I'm talking about. I should say sticky, did I say sticky?

I have read about people who pour hot water on frozen cars ... have not read about broken windows due to thermal shock but I'd never do it.

 

[segbrk]

I have read about people who pour hot water on frozen cars ... have not read about broken windows do to thermal shock but I'd never do it.

Yeah not hot water on glass, warmish water on flexible bits. Doubt you're going to break modern automotive glass with that kind of thermal shock, but there's no need to bet on it, body temperature is enough to melt ice quickly.

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

Didn't have time to add this: I'm sure Lucid thoroughly winter-tested the car. I'm just teasing Borski.

 

[borski]

 

[stratus]

I have a Lucid AT with a glass canopy. Asking the experienced drivers in North(East) who've dealt with cleaning the car in an open parking lot, driving in light and heavy snow, etc. what your experience has been and what (if any) cleaning/best practices do you have. We got our first minor snowstorm here in NJ and figured it was a good time to ask. A quick, cursory search didn't find anything specific outside of using snow/winter tires which is probably a good thing.

Some questions that came to mind

• Is there any accumulation experienced on the headlight bar when driving where you had to stop and clean it? There is a lip there and it seems like an ideal place for snow/slush/ice to gather while driving.
• Any concerns with accumulation left on the glass canopy? Of course clean the car, but in heavy snow, I imagine it will start sticking to the top
• Since the car doesn't have an engine block to keep the front of the car warm, any issues with snow sticking to hood?
• How do the cameras react to being covered in snow? Are you constantly being alerted to clear them while driving? Do they outright fail? How about the distance sensors?
• How does the glass canopy handle ice forming due to cold weather? I'm assuming the front defroster does just fine for the windshield and you can wipe away the water. Any concerns with the roof?
• We've had ice storms in the past and I've had to pull on my ICE car handle to break it. Lucid's handles are electronic. Has anyone experienced them not opening?

Any feedback/best practices on your winter weather experience is very much appreciated.

I’ve never had to clean my light bar.

Snow definitely sticks to the hood, but not while driving, only while idle. It’s never been an issue for me.

Occasionally , during heavy snows, I’ve had to clean off the glass canopy. I personally haven’t had significant ice problems on my glass canopy.

As far as door handles, I have had them stick a few times due to ice; if I recall I just gave the handle a good push and it released.

Lots of alerts with blocked cameras; I clear them if I need or I wait and they eventually clear. In blinding snowstorms, it’s a challenge.

The car is excellent in snow; as good as my Subaru Outback. Be careful with high regen ; I would use standard regen in ice and snow. Some people say it doesn’t matter, but I feel a bit more in control with standard .

In snow, your efficiency will drop even further from rolling resistance; just part of the deal.

Overall, a great winter car; just be prepared for a significant drop in efficiency.

 

[stratus]

Forgot to add that I have driven with the all seasons and they do well, but others have noted improvement with snow tires.

 

[MacBain00]

I’ve never had to clean my light bar.

Snow definitely sticks to the hood, but not while driving, only while idle. It’s never been an issue for me.

Occasionally , during heavy snows, I’ve had to clean off the glass canopy. I personally haven’t had significant ice problems on my glass canopy.

As far as door handles, I have had them stick a few times due to ice; if I recall I just gave the handle a good push and it released.

Lots of alerts with blocked cameras; I clear them if I need or I wait and they eventually clear. In blinding snowstorms, it’s a challenge.

The car is excellent in snow; as good as my Subaru Outback. Be careful with high regen ; I would use standard regen in ice and snow. Some people say it doesn’t matter, but I feel a bit more in control with standard .

In snow, your efficiency will drop even further from rolling resistance; just part of the deal.

Overall, a great winter car; just be prepared for a significant drop in efficiency.

Thanks! I figured since there haven't been threads about this outside of tires, there weren't any major concerns. This was very helpful.

I specifically went with the 19" AS because of being in NJ. It's just one less concern to have while driving.

 

[pyle112]

Three biggest cold weather issues- louvre clicking and door handle freezing which was mentioned and frunk freezing which I didn't think anyone mentioned (or I missed in this chain). The rubber gasket around the frunk can absorb water and freeze shut. Repeated opening and closing has dislodged eventually but isn't a great solution.

 

[joec]

Yes, I avoided the frunk on the coldest winter days when I lived in Colorado. Not worth the risk of freezing when it’s below zero. Especially if you are doing any highway driving.

Other than that, the Air is a good winter car. Handles in snow just fine.

 

[MacBain00]

Yes, I avoided the frunk on the coldest winter days when I lived in Colorado. Not worth the risk of freezing when it’s below zero. Especially if you are doing any highway driving.

Other than that, the Air is a good winter car. Handles in snow just fine.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried a silicone spray on the rubber gasket to see if it helps with the water/freezing issue? I haven't had this issue (yet) so I'm trying to see if something proactive can be done other than not use it.

 

[Pragmatic]

My frunk has never frozen shut. I usually use it for ski boots, cooler with food and backpack when going to VT (every other weekend).

 

[Halodde]

I pretty much agree with the above. I've driven in some really bad winter conditions over the last 22 months.

If the door handles freeze shut, it can dislodge a connector to the motor that pushes them out. You have to have service fix that. It's happened to me on almost all of them.

If you find a good solution to preventing snow and ice buildup in the charging port while charging outside overnight in a snow/ice storm, lmk lol. I've tried multiple charge port covers and none work great.

 

[Pragmatic]

Yes the charging point is not winter weather friendly. A simple swing open door, with a separate cover for the DC contacts would suit me better than the motorized door whose tracks fill with frozen snow.

 

[LucidGoosey]

I live in one of the snowiest / winteriest parts of the world at the moment, and have a RWD pure.

• With good winter tires, I've never gotten stuck, either on ice, deep snow or freezing rain, nor have I had any losses of control. The car is heavy, the weight distribution is excellent, and the traction control is fantastic.
• My door handles haven't been stuck yet. Even after freezing rain, upon unlocking, the motors complain a lot but eventually unlock. Unknown what this will do long term.
• The windows, on the other hand, freeze shut often for me. After about 30 mins of driving and defrosting, the driver's one came loose finally.
• The louvers going crazy under the front bumper is an INSANELY ANNOYING problem. Whenever the car stops in traffic or is parked, there's a loud clicking noise every couple of seconds because the louvers can't rotate. I suspect they will break eventually. I had to sleep in another part of the house the other night because it was so loud and there was no way to stop it.
• The windows leak air in winter, which increases use of the heater, which further reduces range (last time I got about 350km with careful driving in -18c weather).
• My service advisor told me to avoid using the frunk in the winter. A couple times I opened it by accident and it took 10-15 minutes for it to properly close and for the car to be driveable. I'm really worried about the frunk stranding me at some point.
• The heaters for the defrost / direct air work great, the foot heaters don't seem to work well.
• The heated seats work awesome and get very, almost too, hot.

I feel that the car was test-driven for winter, but not test-lived-in for winter.

 

[LucidGoosey]

Forgot to add one more winter annoyance:
Very loud buzzing sound from the front of the car when heating is turned on. Strangely, it stops when you turn on the defroster...

 

[stratus]

I live in one of the snowiest / winteriest parts of the world at the moment, and have a RWD pure.

• With good winter tires, I've never gotten stuck, either on ice, deep snow or freezing rain, nor have I had any losses of control. The car is heavy, the weight distribution is excellent, and the traction control is fantastic.
• My door handles haven't been stuck yet. Even after freezing rain, upon unlocking, the motors complain a lot but eventually unlock. Unknown what this will do long term.
• The windows, on the other hand, freeze shut often for me. After about 30 mins of driving and defrosting, the driver's one came loose finally.
• The louvers going crazy under the front bumper is an INSANELY ANNOYING problem. Whenever the car stops in traffic or is parked, there's a loud clicking noise every couple of seconds because the louvers can't rotate. I suspect they will break eventually. I had to sleep in another part of the house the other night because it was so loud and there was no way to stop it.
• The windows leak air in winter, which increases use of the heater, which further reduces range (last time I got about 350km with careful driving in -18c weather).
• My service advisor told me to avoid using the frunk in the winter. A couple times I opened it by accident and it took 10-15 minutes for it to properly close and for the car to be driveable. I'm really worried about the frunk stranding me at some point.
• The heaters for the defrost / direct air work great, the foot heaters don't seem to work well.
• The heated seats work awesome and get very, almost too, hot.

I feel that the car was test-driven for winter, but not test-lived-in for winter.

I’ve had clicking louvers for 3 winters now and they have never broken. If you had to sleep in another part of the house because they are so loud, that sounds pretty excessive. As soon as I close my garage door I can’t hear them anymore.