- Lucid has released a new software version for the Air luxury electric sedan.
- Lucid UX 2.4 brings 3D three-lane visualization to the car's digital gauge cluster.
- Amazon Alexa is replaced by Lucid Assistant as the in-car voice assistant.
The Lucid Air all-electric luxury sedan is getting new features with the latest version of the Lucid UX software, which is already being sent out to vehicles in the United States as an over-the-air update.
Lucid UX 2.4 adds 3D lane visualization, curve control and Lane Change Assist for vehicles that have the optional DreamDrive Pro advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). The three-dimensional lane visualization is similar to what Tesla offers in its in-car software. When driving on the highway, the car shows a real-time representation of the traffic in its lane, as well as the two lanes next to it on the center screen, together with information about the speed limit and what driving assistants are enabled.
Curve control is integrated into the adaptive cruise control system and in simple terms means that the car automatically adjusts its speed when driving on winding roads and doesn’t simply keep the set speed irrespective of the road layout.
Another new feature is called Driver-Initiated Lane Change Assist. As its name suggests, the car can change lanes on the highway but only after the driver long presses the turn signal and keeps their hands on the steering wheel. The company’s Highway Assist system can now also be engaged on curves thanks to the addition of high-definition maps that provide more detailed information on HOV lanes, exit scenarios and lane merges and splits.
The latest software update also adds something called Extended Stop and Go, which means the car will resume traveling in heavy stop-and-go traffic even after long stops, but only if the driver is looking ahead. Moreover, drivers can now use wireless Apple CarPlay on the Lucid Air’s instrument cluster, not just on the center screen.
Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant will be removed with Lucid UX 2.4. In its place, a new hands-free voice assistant known as Lucid Assistant will be able to control the navigation and audio systems, change the climate control and turn on the heated seats through voice commands. The assistant wakes up when the driver says “Hey Lucid!” or after pressing the microphone button on the steering wheel.
With the latest software update, the Lucid Mobile App now connects to the car much faster than before, according to the automaker.
Lucid says that the Air’s safety suite and its ADAS features don’t make it self-driving and that the driver should always be attentive and not rely upon the car’s sensors completely to avoid accidents.
