Lucid Responds to Scathing Air Criticism in the Best Way Possible
The Plot Thickens
Last month, Jason Fenske, creator of the Engineering Explained YouTube channel with roughly 4.1 million subscribers, published a video expressing his disappointment with his leased 2025 Lucid Air Touring—painting the EV as more problematic than expected. Lucid has since responded, acknowledging shortcomings and outlining steps to improve its products.
According to Fenske, Lucid reached out following the video (now exceeding 1.2 million views), admitting it was dissatisfied with where the company stood and that changes were underway. The California-based automaker also noted an internal organizational shift that occurred about a month before the video’s release, telling Fenske: “It’s fair to say we’re not happy with where we’ve been, and we know we have to do better, and we’re hard at work on that.”
A Fan Favorite Turns Critical
For context, Fenske said he leased the Air after believing Lucid produced some of the best-engineered EVs on the market. Instead, he encountered a mix of software and hardware issues—some significant, others minor. Among the latter was an oddly stiff cupholder that required excessive force to remove a drink.
In a follow-up video, Fenske detailed several software fixes Lucid has already implemented, including resolving a software-update bug, improving plug-and-charge reliability, and addressing an issue that caused the rear heated seats to turn on automatically when his dog rode in the back. The EV maker also plans to introduce an overhauled user-experience update, dubbed UX 3.0, which is expected to arrive in early fall this year.
As for hardware, Lucid said it is developing a fix for a frunk that sometimes fails to open properly. The company also explained that the push-to-open door mechanism—criticized for requiring too much force—was not part of the original design. It was agreed that the cupholder design was flawed and said a revised version is planned for the first half of 2026.
The One Problem That Still Lingers
Among his complaints, Fenske was most critical of the driver-profile system, noting that the biometric scanner is poorly positioned and that the system doesn’t allow easy profile switching—something he pointed out is available in EVs from Tesla. Lucid explained that while Tesla’s system is built on Linux, it uses Android, which introduces more complex customization challenges, so he isn’t expecting changes in this regard anytime soon.
In a playful response, Fenske said, “I, Jason, have created change within the automotive world. Take that, mom and dad.”
With roughly two and a half years remaining on his lease, Fenske still has time to reassess. For now, however, he says he’s leaning toward returning the EV rather than keeping it. Other cars in his garage include a Ford Maverick and a Toyota GR Corolla.
