Latest news with #LucidMotors
Auto Blog
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Lucid Air Just Got a Little Better
Android owners rejoice! One of the most clamored-for functions on the Lucid Air has finally arrived: Android Auto connectivity. The automaker announced on June 16, 2025, that a simple over-the-air update to Lucid OS 2.7.0 will bring the 'Android Auto Smart Driving Companion Application' to all Lucid Air vehicles. If you own a phone with Android 11 or higher, you can benefit from Wireless Android Auto, whereas those with a phone on Android 9 or 10 must use a compatible USB cable. 0:02 / 0:09 Nissan's revolutionary self-driving tech hits Japan's streets Watch More 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin What was the alternative before this? Without Android Auto, owners would have to link their Spotify account directly to the car or rely on plain ol' Bluetooth for their tunes. The latter would still be required for phone calls, though. That wouldn't have been a massive issue, at least for me, if the Spotify connection wasn't spotty on my review car and/or if Bluetooth audio was compatible with album cover art. Much like my press car, however, those issues are now gone, and we can bathe in the glory of Android Auto. 'Android Auto is one of the most requested features by Lucid owners, and we are delighted to announce that we have begun rolling out a software update to add this capability,' said Dr. Jean-Philippe Gauthier, Head of Software Engineering for Lucid. 'Android Auto with Lucid Air's expansive 34-inch Glass Cockpit builds upon our commitment to compromising nothing by enhancing comfort and convenience for owners.' 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin What's a Lucid Air, again? The Lucid Air EV sedan comes in four flavors, ranging from the $69,900 base level Pure to the utterly ludicrous $249,000 Sapphire. The Pure gets by with plenty of power, up to 430 hp and a 0-60 mph figure of 4.5 seconds. It even has an estimated range of 420 miles and a 17-minute charge time to 200 miles. The Sapphire, on the other hand, gets 1,234 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 1.89 seconds. The range for that model comes in at 427 miles with a 15-minute charge time to 200 miles. One step down from that is the $110,900 Grand Touring, which is more likely the one most people would get. That one has 819 hp, a 0-60 mph time of 3 seconds, 512 miles of range, and a 12-minute charge time to 200 miles. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Final thoughts The Lucid Air was already a tremendous vehicle for the money, but adding Android Auto is the cherry on top of the sundae. According to the same Lucid press release, Android Auto connectivity for the automaker's new Gravity SUV is also on the way. That gives us even more reasons to celebrate. About the Author Gabriel Ionica View Profile
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lucid's strategy to strengthen supply chain means using fewer parts
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. NOVI, MICHIGAN — The key to building supply chain resilience may be as simple as using fewer parts to build a finished product, according to Lucid Motors VP of Engineering James Hawkins. 'Doing more with less is efficiency,' Hawkins said during a presentation at AutoTech 2025. 'Doing more with less is at the heart of sustainability and at the heart of resilience.' When designers and engineers were in the initial stages of creating Lucid's first battery electric vehicles, the company considered the needs of potential buyers, including performance, range and passenger comfort. The challenge wasn't determining what had to go, but how to deliver everything, Hawkins said. These traits set the baseline for designing vehicles that not only met perceived consumer expectations, but could also be produced domestically with minimal dependence on components made overseas. An initial step was to construct a 1 million square-foot factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, in 2021, Hawkins said. The plant has since expanded and now boasts 3.9 million square feet of production space, where the company stamps its own body panels and builds vehicles. With production capacity ensured, the company's next focus was securing domestic suppliers. The EV maker recently inked a battery materials deal with Graphite One. It will also procure U.S.-made batteries from Panasonic, Hawkins said. The volatility in the global marketplace, fueled by the Trump administration's tsunami of tariffs, has prioritized domestic sourcing at Lucid. 'The automotive industry has felt an intense and acute vulnerability just this year,' Hawkins said. 'Our response is actually a continuation of our existing strategy, and that is forging partnerships with our supply base for long-term domestic supply, wherever it strategically makes sense.' While Hawkins stressed the importance of procuring as many U.S.-made components as possible, he added that if a finished vehicle had fewer components, it would both resolve potential supply chain issues and aid the company in developing a more spacious passenger cabin. Pausing from his presentation, Hawkins retrieved a Lucid electric motor casing from a carry-on suit case. The motor casing is comparable in size to a small kitchen appliance, but when filled with its internal components capable of propelling a full-sized electric vehicle. Miniaturization of vehicle elements means designers could configure roomier passenger spaces as well as a larger trunk area. 'This is a really obvious example of how we can do more with less,' Hawkins said. In developing its base powertrain, Hawkins said the approach was creating something that could deliver more power, but with fewer parts to reduce costs and eliminate the need to outsource or make additional components. 'There's fewer materials to source, process, deal with the end of life, recycle. Less mass engages in the benevolent cycle of efficiency,' he said. Always seeking opportunities to operate efficiently is a mindset that resonates throughout Lucid, Hawkins said. 'I think what this year has taught us, if nothing else, is that we need to be continuously understanding and evaluating what resiliency means, what the risks to our companies are, [and] what our strategies should be in response,' he said. 'Absolutely, it needs to be continuously and thoroughly examined to make sure that we're covering our bases.' Disclosure: AutoTech2025 is run by Informa, which owns a controlling stake in Informa TechTarget, the publisher behind Automotive Dive. Informa has no influence over Automotive Dive's coverage. Recommended Reading Lucid elects Douglas Grimm to board Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Reddit to Turn Positive Posts Into Ads for Brands
The next time you recommend a product or service to someone in conversation on Reddit, it might turn into an advertisement for the company. A new feature announced by the social media site at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will allow brands to take positive comments posted on Reddit and display them right under advertisements on the platform. The feature, called Reddit Community Intelligence, will integrate conversations happening on Reddit into a company's marketing efforts. So, for example, an advertisement for Lucid Motors might pull popular threads from users who have talked up their experience with the company's cars. Those posts are curated by AI and displayed directly below the company's ad spot. Reddit claims tests of the feature have led to a 19% higher clickthrough rate than standard ads. Which…that's cool, I guess, if you're an advertiser. If you're a user, you're seeing ads take up a bit more screen space. And you're potentially seeing your posts and conversations turned into free advertising for a company. Presumably, if you're talking positively about a brand, you might not care if you see that turned into a marketing campaign. Social proofs certainly aren't a new concept in marketing and are a cheap and easy way to establish credibility by tapping user feedback. Of course, it does not seem Reddit will be giving a cut of those conversions to the Redditors who made the posts in the first place, though one could argue their content is at least in part leading to more sales. During a conversation with Axios on Monday, Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, made the case that the feature is just taking advantage of what is already happening naturally on Reddit. 'Half of the conversations on Reddit are basically commercial in nature,' he said. 'It turns out within every hobby, within every passion, within all these travel decisions, you're actually kind of deciding what to buy next.' A recent article from Marketing Brew highlighted that more and more users are searching Reddit for help making decisions, finding it to be more human and authentic than alternatives like Google search results. So Reddit is cashing in on the trend. This is the latest in a massive monetization effort from Reddit, which would really like to prove it has a reliable model for growth and revenue now that it's a publicly traded company. Earlier this year, the company's CEO talked up a paywall feature for subreddits that would lock some exclusive content behind a subscription model, which Reddit would presumably skim a percentage off the top for facilitating the transaction.
The Verge
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Verge
After a delay, Lucid adds Android Auto support.
Unlike other EV-only automakers, Lucid seems to have come around on phone mirroring. It added Apple CarPlay support in 2023, and then last year the luxury EV company said it would rollout support for Android Auto in fall of 2024. That's been delayed until today, when Lucid announced that Android Auto is now available in all Lucid Air vehicles via an over-the-air update (Lucid OS 2.7.0). Access for Lucid Gravity owners is 'coming soon,' the company added.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Officials issue warning as potential US law change could have devastating economic impact: 'Life-changing'
The Trump administration has been clear about its intentions to cut clean energy incentives, but it would be a massive blow to Republican districts that have benefited from the Inflation Reduction Act, which has supercharged clean energy investments and allowed economic growth in these areas. The IRA, passed in 2022, included an investment of nearly $370 billion into clean energy incentives, including tax credits on new EV purchases, rebates for energy-efficient home appliances, and tax credits for solar panels and heat pumps. In Casa Grande, Arizona, these clean energy incentives have led to more local investments and thousands of jobs, which are at risk if the IRA is gutted. "As much as there are other aspects of the IRA we [Republicans] can disagree with, these tax credits have had an impact in my district — and on job creation, on investment, also national security, because of energy production and having wanted to bring that more domestically," Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), who represents Casa Grande, told Politico. While Ciscomani has signed a letter urging the House Ways and Means Committee to protect these incentives, the fate of the act is unclear. Some critics have said that Ciscomani "shows up for the ribbon cuttings and then turns around and cuts funding" to clean energy projects, Politico reported. But Casa Grande is a prime example of the power of clean energy investments and the benefits of the IRA incentives. Politico reported that Lucid Motors, an electric vehicle manufacturer, has quadrupled its operations in the town and added nearly 3,000 "life-changing" jobs since its inception. While the plant was planned before the IRA was passed, it benefits from the tax credits in the act. Beyond Casa Grande, IRA incentives have led to major growth in clean energy investments, which have amounted to $1 trillion in the past six years, according to RMI. The nonprofit reported that the IRA led to a tripling in quarterly clean energy technology investments since its passage, with Republican states receiving 64% of those investments. Across the aisle, it makes economic sense to maintain the IRA benefits. Should the government continue to give tax incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades? Absolutely No Depends on the upgrade I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. A good way to communicate your support for clean energy initiatives is to show companies and elected officials that green business is good business. If you want your financial decisions to align with your values, GreenPortfolio connects individuals with remote financial advisors who make climate-forward investing simple. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
