Yep, we’re on the same page. The two instances having the same problem is what leads me to believe it’s some kind of timing issue. As mentioned I also had the problem before the sw update, it just happens way more often after the update.
Since Lotus already mentioned it’s some (ABS iirc) module that’s not reacting / starting / connecting fast enough, I guess it was always on edge of triggering the bug. That ominous sw update changed something that shifted the timing of the "boot" process and now that module doesn’t keep up more regularly.
Yes, complex software is hard to get right. What I was going on is that Lotus hasn’t proved itself when it comes to testing throughly..
Lol I don't know that anybody tests that thoroughly anymore. When systems were far less complex they may have, but nowadays getting a product out the door takes priority over taking the time to thoroughly debug. Are you a gamer? Everybody uses their customers now to find the bugs, then issues updates to fix them, meanwhile products ship and revenue comes in.
There's a lot about this car that's a new world for Lotus, but they seem to be working through the issues to get the car right, which is a good thing at least.
The thing is with your issue and the few others who have it, not everyone has it. Those of you who do have this issue, there's something in common with your cars that isn't the case with the majority. To me that suggests an oxidized or slightly corroded connection somewhere, or something that's possibly not fastened down tight enough, or there's a substance that's interfering with a solid connection which is why there's a lag in the signal path. Have you guys tried to identify the production date range of cars that have this issue?
Whenever I was troubleshooting electrical issues, I always used a long jumper cable to create a direct ground from the battery to the grounding point of various sections and/or modules. You can usually isolate which section of wiring has the issue, or which module isn't grounded properly. Often it wasn't immediately obvious that a section was bad, or a module not grounded. Everything would look okay visually. Once testing revealed there was a problem, it would either be a wire that had rubbed through, or oxidation/corrosion underneath a connecting point, etc. Sometimes it was inside the cable connector. Even the connector for ground right at the battery negative terminal. I'd clean that and the terminal post itself first, and go from there. Once in awhile a fuse connection had gotten something in it and the fuse wasn't connecting cleanly.
As you said previously, lots of little things can be the cause. In the absence of an official fix from Lotus, I'd be going through and checking the small things I could in the meantime, in case I could either find or at least isolate where the cause might be. It could even be a module or component that came that way from the supplier. Lots of things were made during the Covid debacle that weren't up to normal standards.
I feel for you guy struggling through this. You're some of the heroes of the pioneer days of the new Lotus. At least now you have some stories you can tell your grandkids "Back in the last days of the ICE age, supposedly caused by global warming....." Who knew?
