Lucid Motors just began full-scale production of its Air EV sedan. Still, while the Air already comes with an impressive array of standard equipment, the company revealed that the Air will eventually debut an all-new DreamDrive ADAS platform that promises to bring automated driving to the next level.
Conditional Automated Driving Is No Longer A Dream
Before we get into some of the core essentials that define the DreamDrive system, it’s essential to reveal that the system will not be available at launch, but it will eventually come to the Air via an Over The Air update (OTA). The system itself has over 30 features and 32 sensors that are artfully integrated into the Air. They include five radar units, four surround-view cameras, 14 visible-light cameras, and even acoustic sensors.
Lucid reps revealed that these sensors work together to help form a unified “co-pilot” that can see hazards and data that humans cannot. This ability maximizes timing and allows the Air to process data at breakneck speeds. This data crunching requires an equally powerful computer system with the car using a system that Lucid calls the “Ethernet Ring.” This network is fast, and the processing speeds allow Ethernet Ring to create a computer gateway that shares data with all four corners of the car. As a bonus, this ability allowed the company to engineer redundancies for critical features like the steering, sensors, and braking.
DreamDrive Pro Takes Things To The Next Level
In addition to the standard-issue DreamDrive suite, Lucid Motors also revealed that the company is developing a beefier version of DreamDrive. As the Pro part of its name implies, DreamDrive Pro adds more sensors and computing power to the existing system, including “the first automotive application of LiDAR on the market.” The LiDAR plays a very prominent role in the Surround View Monitoring Suite, which allows drivers to have a 360-degree view of the car when doing certain maneuvers, including tight parking jobs.
DreamDrive Pro will come standard on both the Air Dream Edition and the Air Grand Touring, with other Air variants getting it as an optional extra. Lucid did not reveal pricing for the system yet but look for it to live up to the hype thanks to items such as Highway Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, and the novel Auto Park feature.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.