Lucid, Take the Wheel: Major OTA Update Adds Hands-Free Driving to Air and Gravity
DreamDrive Pro will catch up to competitors’ Level 2 systems with a new over-the-air update.
It’s a bit of a surprise that Lucid didn’t have a hands-free driving feature from the start. Even though the DreamDrive Pro system could theoretically allow hands-free capability thanks to its sweeping sensor suite, the Air and Gravity only allowed for hands-on assisted driving. Oh, and that functionality was limited to your chosen lane of travel—it wouldn’t automatically change lanes for you, either. Both performance envelopes expand with an upcoming over-the-air (OTA) update that will finally add hands-free driving for Lucid customers.
First, the Lucid Air sedan or Gravity SUV—on sale now—will need to be factory-equipped with the DreamDrive Pro option, as its lidar, radar, camera system, and ultrasonic sensor hardware must be present and communicating with the vehicle. The OTA hands-free driving update will not be available for those owners who do not have the system, because, again, their vehicles won’t have the necessary hardware. If you have it, you’re about to get a much better riding experience that hands-on Level 2 driving just can’t give you.
The OTA rolls out July 30 for the Lucid Air and later in 2025 for Gravity owners, enhancing the DreamDrive Pro capability to Level 2 hands-free driving with hands-free lane changing on top of that. While the lane change function is “hands-free,” to initiate a hands-free lane change a driver must indicate they want it to happen by using the turn signal stalk. Simply tap the stalk to signal right or left depending on which lane you want the Lucid to move into, and it’ll handle the rest.
This sort of serious upgrade stemming from, well, an OTA update goes to show just how forward-thinking Lucid has been with its technologies and just how much of a leg up software-defined vehicles have on those that still rely on old-school software capabilities and limited CAN bus system expansion. So long as the hardware is there, the software can always be improved—and functionality added.
We must stress, as always, that hands-free driver assistance systems—even really good ones like General Motors’ Super Cruise, a MotorTrend Best Tech award winner—aren’t fully automated. These are SAE Level 2 systems that require the driver to remain focused on the road ahead and their surroundings and remain ready to take control of the vehicle at any time. What all these advanced Level 2 systems provide is the convenience of hands-free driving on certain roadways, such as closed highways and such. As of this moment, there are no true SAE Level 3 automated driving systems available to the public, with most examples having been limited to field testing, while some robotaxi or delivery services feature further automation but aren’t purchasable systems for regular car buyers.
