- Lucid is adding hands-free driving and hands-free lane changes to its EVs.
- The Air sedan and Gravity SUV will get a software update to enable the two features.
- Not all cars are equipped with the necessary hardware, though.
Lucid Motors, the California luxury car startup that makes the Air sedan and Gravity SUV, is adding a hands-free driving assistant and a hands-free lane change feature to its models.
Cars fitted with the DreamDrive Pro suite of advanced driver assistance systems will get a software update that enables the two automated driving features. In the case of the Air electric sedan, the over-the-air (OTA) update is scheduled for July 30, while Gravity owners will have to wait until later this year.
Photo by: Patrick George
According to the automaker, the two driving assistance systems will work on compatible divided highways, but that’s where the flow of information stops. In the case of hands-free lane changes, the car will initiate the maneuver after the driver uses the turn signal stalk.
“The addition of these features to Lucid’s DreamDrive Pro offers a glimpse into the future that Lucid is building with the impressive capabilities of our software-defined vehicles,” said Kai Stepper, Vice President of ADAS and AD at Lucid. “With our in-house software stack, a comprehensive suite of 32 sensors, and regular OTA updates, we have a roadmap to continue to deliver significantly more functionality to our owners in the future.”
All Lucid EVs come standard with DreamDrive, an ADAS suite that includes things like automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane departure protection and traffic sign recognition. However, the two new automated driving features will only be available on cars equipped with the optional DreamDrive Pro suite, which is a $2,500 extra on all Air models except the Sapphire. On the Gravity SUV, the DreamDrive 2 Pro system is an optional $6,750 upgrade.
For the extra cash, the Pro version of Lucid’s ADAS comes with lidar, radar, visible-light cameras, surround-view cameras and ultrasonic sensors.
In the first half of the year, Lucid’s production and delivery numbers increased dramatically year-over-year. In the second quarter, the company manufactured 3,863 vehicles (up 83%) and delivered 3,309 cars (up 38%). In the first six months, Lucid produced 6,075 EVs (up 58%) and delivered 6,418 vehicles (up 47%).