Lucid Motors faced an extremely unpleasant public story: the company bought back a Lucid Air from blogger and engineer Jason Fenske of the Engineering Explained channel after numerous recurring failures. The problem is particularly painful for Lucid because it's not about the battery or powertrain — it's in these areas that the company is considered one of the strongest in the EV industry. The Lucid Air is regularly praised for its record-breaking efficiency, range, and engineering layout.
However, in real-world operation, the car began to experience numerous software failures. According to Fenske, over 11 months of use, the car encountered problems with doors, climate control, Apple CarPlay, the audio system, cameras, the trunk, and even the logic for holding the car in place. One of the most alarming episodes was the spontaneous switching of the Hold mode to Roll, after which the car unexpectedly rolled forward.
Lucid initially tried to replace the car with a similar one, but eventually agreed to fully buy back the Air and compensate for all lease payments. This is a rare occurrence even for the premium EV segment.
The story proved particularly illustrative for the entire industry. Modern cars are increasingly becoming software-defined vehicles, where the quality of the user experience depends not so much on the engine or suspension, but on the stability of the software.
And here Lucid faced a paradox of the new automotive industry: the company managed to create one of the most technologically advanced electric vehicles in the world, but it was the digital part that began to destroy the impression of the car. Moreover, this is not about secondary functions, but about basic daily use scenarios.