Hey! Firstly, congratulations on your new car. As you mentioned some of the issues in your previous comment, would you suggest or recommend this model to anyone? Since you are well-aware of how the EVs work, is there any other vehicle that you would like to suggest?
I don't mean to make the Lucid Air sound like it's not a great car. I think Lucid the car and Lucid the company both have enormous potential, but it's going to take a lot of work and quite a bit more time for them to get where we want them to be. While currently best suited for buyers who are completely comfortable in the role of early adopter (and the trials and tribulations which accompany that role), I believe most people will be thrilled with the car and will happily overlook the glitches and growing pains. That said, they (Lucid) have a lot of work to do if this car is to be the success everyone wants and expects it to be. If they can successfully address the more glaring issues in a timely manner, they will likely prove to be a viable alternative to Tesla. They will never replace Tesla. That ship has sailed. Tesla - for better or worse - are the Kleenex(tm) of electric vehicles. Their national and worldwide market penetration is too pervasive, and with Tesla's enormous experience, combined with the supercharger network, it would be a mighty feat for any company to knock Tesla off its throne at this point.
Lucid, at least initially, is aiming for a more upscale market. The Lucid Air is far more luxurious, comfortable, and dare I say classy than any Tesla. But the very thing which sets it apart is also what severely limits its market potential. To achieve the more luxurious look and feel, they've given up much of the utility of the Tesla. I love the way the Lucid looks, and I very much appreciate the ride and the feel. But to be truthful, I actually find that I enjoy driving my Model X even more. One reason is that the Lucid Dream Drive is not ready yet, so the comparison is a bit unfair for that reason. I worry that it will take Lucid a long time to implement Dream Drive (or at least to implement it effectively), and I suspect it will take them a year or more to iron out many of the other annoying glitches. Seriously, the infotainment system is mostly impressive, but it is slower than molasses. Any techie will be annoyed by it from day one. Maybe (hopefully) they can find a way to speed it up via OTA updates, but I'm truly dumbfounded that they actually released it in this state. I expected better, especially after reading and hearing all the hype and breathtakingly positive reviews, and because you rely on it for so many of the car's functions.
When we took delivery of the Lucid, we immediately took my X to the body shop, as someone had hit it in a restaurant parking lot and damaged the liftgate. It sat in the body shop for over a month awaiting parts before I retrieved it. Another month or more has now passed, and we're still waiting for parts. Don't get me started on Tesla's lousy service and parts availability. They absolutely suck in this area. But I digress. After driving the Lucid for a month, I missed my X. Since getting it back, I've mostly stuck to the X while my wife drives the Lucid. She really likes it, but she hates the door handles and the glitchy infotainment system. The tradeoff works for her. It doesn't really work for me.
When I approach the X, the door opens itself for me. Once inside, I put my foot on the brake pedal and the door closes itself. Immediately I can put the car in gear and go. No waiting. None at all. With the Lucid, I fold myself into the driver's seat, put my foot on the brake, and wait around 15-20 seconds for it to partially boot, at which point the cameras will begin to work and I can begin driving (technically you could drive sooner, but the back up camera won't work at that point). The rest of the system doesn't finish booting for an additional 15 or 20 seconds. Those short delays don't sound like a big deal, but in reality they have an enormous impact on the driving experience. My X has a height-adjustable air suspension, which memorizes the height setting based upon gps location. The Air doesn't have that, and because it sits so low, the front air dam scrapes if you pull forward all the way to the concrete parking stops. The X (and the S, as well) has an enormous liftgate/hatchback, which makes loading and unloading very easy. The Air trunk, while quite large, has a fairly small lid which makes loading larger items impossible.
The Air has some noteworthy advantages, however. The frunk is enormous and is automated, whereas the Tesla's is manual. The camera system is really great, if you can handle the delays inherent in their display/infotainment system. I really enjoy the 360 camera view, which helps tremendously when parking. The HomeLink (garage & gate remote) system has 15 slots vs only 3 in the Tesla. I currently have need for 6 slots, and could use 1 or 2 more, so the Lucid wins in this department.
The Lucid absolutely destroys the Tesla in the range department. Ours is rated at 500ish miles. We typically charge it to 80%, (400 miles) which makes it feasible to routinely take advantage of the 3 years of free charging with EV America. I can charge it once or twice a week, and it only takes about 30 minutes or less to charge from sub-100 to 400 miles of range. My X has free unlimited lifetime charging, but since the 90% range is only 230-ish miles now (the 100% range when new was 293 miles, but that has dropped to 260-ish after 4 years), and it takes around 45 minutes to charge to that level, it's just easier to top off the Tesla on a daily or every-other-day basis at my home or my office. I've installed level 2 chargers at both. The newer Teslas charge at a faster rate and have more range, so this might change the calculus relative to Lucid. I dislike the location of the charging port on the Lucid, and as with all things Lucid, the port door is slower to open than is the Tesla's. I also loathe the bulkiness of the level 3 CCS charger.
There are a number of things about the Tesla which I also find annoying, so I recognize it's far from the perfect car. Despite that, and after weighing it against the Lucid Air, I just placed my order for a new Tesla model X (delivery anticipated next January). We'll keep and enjoy the Lucid, but for my lifestyle, the Tesla X is just a better fit.
So, back to your original question (and sorry to have been so longwinded!). Would I suggest or recommend the Lucid? Yes, with the caveat that the buyer should be aware of the current immaturity of the platform. I honestly feel the Lucid can become something truly great, and to a large extent already is. Anyone buying one at this time will experience some frustrations while they iron out the bugs and glitches. This is to be expected with any new and groundbreaking technology, but the way the Lucid has been presented and reviewed, we were led to expect a more mature and refined product than we received. Perhaps this was an unrealistic expectation, but I firmly believe we were led to that (mis)perception; we didn't get there on our own. The Lucid's range, efficiency, and technology has the potential to upend the entire industry. The vehicle is beautiful, comfortable, powerful, fast, and efficient. There's a lot going on there, and the vast majority of it is great. I believe the company will be successful, but they face some serious challenges (supply chain issues, rising prices, chip shortages, and of course technology development and refinement), and as a result success is not a given. Having said all the above, while we could easily sell our Lucid, and probably make a chunk of profit in doing so, we're keeping it.