Drove a Lucid Air & Toured the Factory

[speeder]

Originally Posted by masraum

Far better looking than a Tesla!

Depends on the Tesla, IMO.

[Rodney Nelson]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I love seeing new stuff like this, thanks for posting Rodney. You said "your expert take," what do you do?

Car looks beautiful though I think the contrasting hood smile is a little too much. The lower alone would have been interesting and more subtle, elegant.

I like the '20s Art Deco lettering, timeless design for something new and exciting.

Hi Shaun, I'm an expert in manufacturing operations. Not a subject matter expert in everything, but a subject matter expert in what key components a manufacturing operation needs to have to be successful. I've been in my fair share of plating facilities and I know for a fact that you are disposing of bodies in those huge tanks.

But seriously, right off the bat when I walk into a manufacturing facility I'm looking for controlled processes including... Quality at the source for manufacturing repeatability, Organization, Visual Process Boards, Data Collection, Quality inspections, Communication of company goals, Company Culture, etc. Lucid has it all, a no joke operations.

Originally Posted by ErVikingo

so Rodney, buy it or not?

I have an Audi eTron and hold reservations on CyberTruck and Rivian.

Based on what I saw it is a very well put together car, with great materials that exceed what is used in a Tesla. The range is good too. The questions are around availability, service, and company longevity.

Originally Posted by NutmegCarrera

Here’s my big question:
How, exactly do you entice a skilled and motivated workforce for a relatively large startup factory like this one?
How to incentivize while at the same time running a (financially) balanced factory?
What I have observed in highly automated manufacturing over the last 10 years is that it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain people that are even remotely capable of doing these jobs. So what’s Lucid’s model? Are they employing significantly over-qualified workers? Are they hiring valedictorian aerospace engineers to do the manufacturing jobs - and paying according to background and training level?
If that’s the case - does the business model support this as a long-term op’s strategy?
I hear these stories, and think it’s really cool - but just don’t understand how they can establish standards that are so different from (adjacent?) industry norms.

Impressive, nonetheless!

Well, since part of my job is also around helping manufacturers find skilled labor I feel qualified for sure to discuss this. One big problem, there are no skilled engineers with automobile expertise in Casa Grande, and if there are any in Phoenix the over an hour drive will deter them. All of the leaders of the company, managers, and supervisors were required to have automotive manufacturing backgrounds. These guys were incentivized in some manner to come to the crappy town where the plant is located. I would say by stock and cash! Lucid is struggling just like every manufacturer I support in Arizona to find people. The job market here is crazy. Every company I work with has multiple openings that they cannot fill. EVERY SINGLE COMPANY. Manufacturers are again giving out hiring bonuses, paying for people to move, giving out stock, what ever it takes. The starting salary for entry level manufacturing jobs went from 13-14/hr 12 months ago to 18 - 20/hr. !!!!

[astrochex]

Lucid was displaying at Amelia Island this year. The car looked good, the motor technology amazing.

I hope they succeed.

[NutmegCarrera]

Thanks for the insight, Rodney.
I am involved in a different industry - but was wondering if these guys were getting stupid money to work an "assembly line".
If they're in $18-20/hr, that seems to be 'reasonable' to me.

My experience was in the ballpark of $15/hr for totally unskilled fork truck drivers and $20 or so for machinery operators. $22-26 for maintenance.
...at those rates (2016 numbers), we could not entice workers that would be reliable or remotely good at their jobs.

Kudos to Lucid for what they're accomplishing.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by speeder

LS swap!!

This guy's stuffing one into a Tesla ↓

[astrochex]

From Amelia Island. Impressive if Formula E battery tech is being used, it should be very refined.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by Rodney Nelson

[nzporsche944s2]

[/QUOTE]

I've never seen upper links that sit that close and around the tyre before! Impossible to upgrade the rim diameter and I would have thought it's a debris trap too for things like mud and snow?

[Rodney Nelson]

Originally Posted by nzporsche944s2

I've never seen upper links that sit that close and around the tyre before! Impossible to upgrade the rim diameter and I would have thought it's a debris trap too for things like mud and snow?[/QUOTE]

We noticed this too, and noticed that the links are not at all visible on the production cars so in this picture something is not connected...

[Sooner or later]

The local Goodyear plant is looking for workers. Pretty damn good pay in a low cost area.
Low range is trucker pay, upper range is tire builder.

[Steve Carlton]

Thanks for the report, Rodney!

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

The local Goodyear plant is looking for workers. Pretty damn good pay in a low cost area.
Low range is trucker pay, upper range is tire builder.

$18 - $20 an hour is McDonald's money in my part of the world. And I'm not in the tri-state or California.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by Rodney Nelson

Very cool tech. Thanks for sharing. Lucid and Rivian look like they will be the first to market with true "skateboard" platform for EV's.

[Sooner or later]

It does look damn good.

[MMARSH]

Very cool, I'd love to check one out in person.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the looks of it, but I'm biased. I drive one of those ugly Teslas. 😉

[PorscheGAL]

I just noticed something when Trent reposted the pics:

In the second pic: is the sun visor attached to a windshield that continues onto the roof? Or am I looking at it wrong?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Rodney Nelson

Hi Shaun, I'm an expert in manufacturing operations. Not a subject matter expert in everything, but a subject matter expert in what key components a manufacturing operation needs to have to be successful. I've been in my fair share of plating facilities and I know for a fact that you are disposing of bodies in those huge tanks.

But seriously, right off the bat when I walk into a manufacturing facility I'm looking for controlled processes including... Quality at the source for manufacturing repeatability, Organization, Visual Process Boards, Data Collection, Quality inspections, Communication of company goals, Company Culture, etc. Lucid has it all, a no joke operations.

What a great career Rodney! I can't imagine it would ever get boring.

I prefer the anodizing tanks for disappearing people actually.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I just noticed something when Trent reposted the pics:

In the second pic: is the sun visor attached to a windshield that continues onto the roof? Or am I looking at it wrong?

I think this is the same model used in Goliath on Prime, there's a shot from overhead where it looks like the windshield carry on into the roof.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I think this is the same model used in Goliath on Prime, there's a shot from overhead where it looks like the windshield carry on into the roof.

Yep. I wondered what that car was.

So the Lucid starts at 77K and can go up to 140K. I guess the base model with a few options, tag, tax and delivery will likely cost 80 large to drive off in it. Not crazy money, but that lands it square in the middle of a lot of really nice vehicles price range.

I presume they will have to use the Tesla model of sending a tech out to you for service or repairs. For the people that commute 50+ miles each way every day it might make sense to go electric. Since my commute is 14 steps down the hall and heavy traffic is a dachshund wagging his tail wanting to be fed, I am not in the market for any new car.

[vash]

i had to go and look at the Range of this thing. WOW!!!!

i like the car overall. its beautiful.

i am loving our new Tesla 3. it's very intuitive to drive and work the controls. well, except HOW to turn on the rear passenger AC vents. WTF?

i love driving past the insanity at the Costco gas pumps. i still have to run the gauntlet for my toyota truck, but now i do it less than half the time. (hey, i'm a cheapskate for low gas prices).

i am half tempted to get on the wait list for the cybertruck. so my kayak trips can be plug in affairs. i need 500 mile ranges to get to some remote lakes and back.