Air

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Sedan

Lucid has not concealed the fact that it wants to surpass Tesla in all the areas that count. Already, the new Lucid Air received an EPA rating of 520 miles, far more than what the Tesla Model S can manage. But a great EV is not about a good range alone. It needs to excel in other aspects as well. That's why Lucid has just announced the details of its new proprietary DreamDrive driver-assistance platform. Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self Driving systems have proven clever at best and downright dangerous at their worst, and Lucid now wants to position itself as a technology leader with DreamDrive. Hopefully, it won't suffer from the same foibles as Autopilot.

DreamDrive comes with over 30 driver-assistance features and the company refers to it as "the most technically sophisticated advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS)." Regardless of which version of DreamDrive is equipped, it will make use of 32 on-board sensors, on-board ethernet networking, and a multi-faceted driver-monitoring system. The system employs LIDAR technology but despite all the tech on board, Lucid says the system has been designed to be easy to use. The system makes use of four surround-view cameras, 14 visible-light cameras, five radar units, and numerous other ultrasonic sensors. The solid-state LIDAR sensor enables both an ultra-wide field of view and delivers high-resolution data.

Features like collision avoidance, Traffic Jam Assist, and Highway Assist are offered as part of DreamDrive. Lucid's Highway Assist combines lane centering control and adaptive cruise control for effortless freeway commuting. Tesla's driver-assist tech has been criticized for failing to detect an inattentive driver in the past when its driver-assist features are being used, but Lucid has designed a sophisticated driver-monitoring system that detects head position, eye gaze, and even blinking. An Auto Park feature takes over parking entirely by managing gear selection, steering, and applying power to maneuver into a parking spot. For features like front/rear cross-traffic alert, clear directional alerts are delivered via an immersive 21-speaker sound system.

DreamDrive Pro includes additional features and is standard on the Air Dream Edition and Air Grand Touring. It can be optionally equipped to other models. This advanced setup will be improved over time with over-the-air updates.

"DreamDrive Pro has been designed to grow in capability, thanks to our ability to deliver software over-the-air and key equipment already in place in the vehicle," said Dr. Eugene Lee from Lucid. "Thanks to highly integrated hardware and software teams, Lucid has the ability to develop new functionality for DreamDrive Pro in-house."

These future technologies include Highway Pilot that will offer conditional hands-free driving on specific roadways. With deliveries of the new Lucid Air beginning this month, we'll soon get to experience DreamDrive in the real world.