Lucid Motors is rolling out its largest software update yet, introducing UX 2.0, which includes improvements throughout the entire vehicle – its flagship Air sedan. New features include “instant-on” glass cockpit and panel displays and the launch of Highway Assist. Check out the full list below.
Lucid Motors ($LCID) is celebrating one year since it officially began production of its first-ever EV model, the Air sedan. While the American automaker has seen its fair share of growing pains and supply chain issues since this time last year, it is finally beginning to bolster Air production and expects to reach its (revised) production target of 6,000-7,000 EVs by year’s end.
For those Air sedans that are already out accelerating faster and driving further than pretty much any other EV on the road, they’re due for a software update, and it’s a big one. We are starting to hear the term “Software Defined Vehicle” (or SDV) more and more these days, especially as EVs and their working components become less and less mechanical and more and more computer-based.
Lucid Motors states it designed the Air as a true software-defined vehicle with “future-ready hardware” to help the EVs evolve and improve over time, through over-the-air (OTA) updates. Evidence of this potential is present today as Lucid has begun rolling out its UX 2.0 – a major software update.
What’s new in Lucid Motors’ latest software update?
According to Lucid’s press release announcing the software update today, it’s the most robust to date. The American automaker says the update includes enhancements to virtually every user touchpoint in the EV. Senior vice president of digital, Lucid Group Michael Bell elaborated:
This extensive software update, comprising tens of millions of new lines of source code across nearly every updatable computer in the vehicle, is achievable because the Lucid Air was engineered from the start with the capability to get better over time. Thanks to our integrated software and hardware engineering, Lucid has the in-house technical depth to enhance our vehicles long after they leave the assembly line.
Here are some highlights of Lucid’s UX 2.0 software update:
- Glass Cockpit and Pilot Panel Displays
- “Instant-on” displays – EV is ready to drive as soon as the driver sits and buckles up.
- New on-screen layout for the Glass Cockpit display, moving most-used apps like Home, Navigation, Media, and Phone to be more ergonomically friendly.
- Updated Navigation and maps, with turn-by-turn directions now appearing on the center display directly ahead of the driver.
- More-intelligent prediction of remaining range.
- More capabilities with Alexa Built-In voice control, such as changing the climate control settings in the rear.
- More user-friendly browsing for third-party media apps, making it easier to see options and start listening more quickly.
- DreamDrive and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
- Highway Assist with active lane centering and adaptive cruise control.
- Rear Pedestrian Collision Protection is now also enabled when the vehicle is in Drive and rolling backward.
- Improvements to visual cues for Park Distance Warning feature.
- Intelligent Micro Lens Array Headlights
- High Beam Assist that detects not only other vehicles but other sources of nearby light, automatically switching to low beams when appropriate.
- Automatic headlight leveling with sensor-based adjustments for height and vehicle angle in relation to the ground.
- Vehicle Entry and Exit
- New De-Ice Mode combines defrost, automatic wiper blade movement, and wiper fluid to clear ice that may be obstructing the view through the windshield.
- A number of measures to make automatic locking and unlocking simpler, more intuitive, and more responsive with both the key fob and Mobile Key.
Lucid states that the initial phase of the UX 2.0 rollout to Air drivers is already underway and will continue over the next several weeks.
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