The closest rival to the Tesla Model S there is has been hit with a safety recall. Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that Lucid has identified an error in software versions 2.1.2 through 2.1.26, with said bug leading to a sudden loss of drive power.
An estimated 189 examples of the Air electric sedan are recalled, with said vehicles produced for the 2022 through 2024 model years at Lucid's Casa Grande plant in the state of Arizona. The zero-emission sedans were manufactured in the period from November 10, 2021 to December 5, 2023.
As per the recall report attached below, the software error in question concerns the torque monitor logic. With adaptive cruise control turned on when the vehicle detects another vehicle or obstacle that causes the adaptive cruise control system to decelerate, the fault occurs after the driver gives the vehicle a burst of acceleration to override ACC, followed by the driver canceling adaptive cruise control via either the ACC button or by braking.
Lucid became aware of this condition on September 8, 2023 thanks to a customer that reported a drive system fault to a Lucid Service Center. Service personnel determined that said event should be investigated by the software boffins in California. As a brief refresher, Lucid is based in Newark. Seven miles down the road, it operates a research & development facility in Fremont. Coincidentally, Tesla's assembly plant is also located in Fremont.
A second customer vehicle running a suspect software version experienced a drive system fault on December 2, 2023. Lucid's software engineers removed the iffy torque monitor logic in software version 2.1.30, which rolled out on October 16, 2023. Even though an over-the-air update to version 2.1.30 or later fixes the condition, Lucid is required by law to file this type of recall with the NHTSA and to inform affected customers via first-class mail.
Photo: Lucid Motors
The same applies to Tesla's software-related recalls, prompting industry experts to call for a better nomenclature. After all, owners aren’t required to drop off the cars at service centers to have the remedy performed by service technicians. If you're into legalese, then you already know why Lucid, Tesla, and the NHTSA prefer the term recall over anything else. Straight from the NHTSA's website, a safety-related defect is defined as any defect in performance, construction, a component, or material of a motor vehicle or vehicle equipment.
Even though a bad batch of fuel pumps isn't the same as a few bad lines of code, both conditions are safety-related defects. With modern vehicles (including combustion-engined vehicles) relying so much on software for even the most basic of functions, safety recalls over software issues will become more common with the passage of time.
In production since fall 2021 for the 2022 model year, the Air is the highest-range battery electric vehicle that money can buy as of February 2024. The Grand Touring with the standard 19-inch aero wheels is listed with an EPA-estimated driving range of 516 miles (830 kilometers), whereas the Pure RWD offers 419 miles (675 kilometers).
Lucid has recently dropped prices for the Air by anything between $1,000 for the Touring and $8,000 for the Grand Touring. The entry-level Pure RWD is $7,500 more affordable than before, thus undercutting the Tesla Model S. At the moment of reporting, the Air Pure RWD starts at $69,900 in the US market as opposed to $74,990 for the Tesla.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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