Lucid Motors charges its first electric vehicle with hardware – Dozens of sensors, a driver monitoring system and an Ethernet-based architecture – for an advanced driver assistance system that is supposed to reach and even surpass its competitors.
According to Lucid, who launched their advanced driver assistance system DreamDrive as a brand, there will be a total of 32 sensors. The total number is not important. The type and location – and of course the software – do this. At the moment, Lucid only provides hardware details.
Air, which will make its debut on September 9th, will be equipped with a lidar, radars, cameras and ultrasound sensors. Noteworthy is Lidar – the light detection and distance radar that uses laser light to measure distance to create a high-precision 3D map of the world around the car. The sensor is typically used in autonomous vehicles, not in production cars, trucks and SUVs that consumers buy and drive. Lucid said his long-range lidar sensor would be placed in the front of the vehicle.
There is a small and growing list of automakers planning to include Lidar in their production vehicles. Volvo announced plans in 2022 to produce vehicles equipped with lidar and perceptual stack technology, developed by Silicon Valley startup Luminar, that the automaker will use an automated driving system for highways.
The number of radar sensors and their position is also an outstanding feature. Lucid will have a total of five radars, one of which is in front to expand the lidar's capabilities. The other four are at the four corners of the vehicle. This gives the air a 360 degree radar coverage. Tesla has an advanced driver assistance system that is generally considered to be the most powerful or one of the most powerful on the market today. It has eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and only one radar. Tesla vehicles don't have a lidar.
Credit: Lucid
There is a driver monitoring system in the vehicle with a special camera. Lucid Motors didn't reveal much about the DMS. However, it probably works similarly to GM's hands-free system known as Super Cruise. Eugene Lee, Senior Director of ADAS and Autonomous Driving at Lucid Motors, previously worked on GM's Super Cruise.
All of this will be high speed Ethernet ring, which Lucid describes as a unique cornerstone of advanced electrical architecture. Car manufacturers have been using Ethernet technology for a number of years to create a central network that simplifies the provision of advanced functions. Lucid said its circular and non-linear design allowed a redundant platform for functions like Steering, brakes, sensors and even power sources. The system also enables wireless software upgrades, an important feature (made popular by Tesla) that Lucid can use to improve ADAS over time.
All of this hardware will be standard on the first iteration of Lucid Air, a more expensive and exclusive launch version called Dream Edition. Lucid sources its hardware system from several major suppliers, including Bosch, Continental and Here. The automaker said it integrated the hardware in the house.
The goal is for all of this hardware to support highly functional driver assistance functions, including automated freeway driving for hands-free calling. This ADAS package not only offers Level 2 functions, but according to Lee is also Level 3 capable. According to the definition of SAE, there are five levels of automation. In stage 2, two main functions are automated and always have a human driver in the loop. Level 3 takes this under control and is considered conditional automation in geofenced areas such as highways. The driver must still be ready to intervene in stage 3.
Lucid said his DreamDrive technology will support 19 safety, driving and parking assistance features that will be available as soon as the air rolls off the assembly line. The automaker is planning it Add eight more features later.
According to Lucid, the system will include safety functions such as surround view monitoring, blind spot display, cross-traffic protection, which informs the driver of vehicles standing perpendicular to it, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking and warnings for distracted or sleepy drivers.
The functions of the driver assistant include adaptive cruise and lane centering for driving on the motorway, a headlamp assistant and a warning that informs the driver when the traffic at a standstill starts moving again. It will also offer what Lucid describes as autonomous parking.
