

News
Lucid Air becomes world’s first vehicle to integrate Dolby Atmos in new partnership
The Lucid Air will be the first-ever vehicle to equip Dolby Atmos for a unique and state-of-the-art 21-speak Surreal Sound system.
Earlier today, Lucid revealed the developments, announcing a new partnership with Dolby, a legendary and top-of-the-line company offering some of the best sound system experiences since 1965. Dolby has primarily focused on audio noise reduction along with sound encoding and compression. These factors allow the company to offer sound products that are among the best in the market.
With Lucid’s introductory electric vehicle expected to hit the market later in 2021, the automaker is finalizing the finer details of its first production EV. Lucid is the first company ever to have automotive integration with Dolby Atmos. It offers owners “an immersive audio experience in the Lucid Air luxury EV that envelops listeners with the rich, multi-dimensional sound of Dolby Atmos.” The experience goes past putting a new spin on some of the classics that drivers listen to during a commute. The Dolby-integrated vehicle will also offer increased safety through enhanced driver aids that feature directional acoustic signaling of notifications, warnings, and all other driver and passenger alerts, the company said.
The Surreal Sound system will utilize acoustic signaling of notifications, indications, warnings, and all other audio emitted to alert the driver and passengers. The sounds will sound as if they are coming from the location of the passenger who they are directed toward. For example, if the rear driver’s side passenger is riding without a seatbelt, the warning signal will come from the direction of the unbuckled belt. Blindspot detection will also feature directionality indicators to help warn the driver of an incoming threat from a specific side of the car.
Credit: Lucid Motors
“As the first car to integrate Dolby Atmos, Lucid Air delivers an elevated, multi-dimensional sound experience on par with the other innovations at Lucid,” Derek Jenkins, Senior Vice President of Design for Lucid, said. “The post-luxury experience is not just about beautiful design and next-generation technology, it also speaks to an unmatched in-car experience that engages all the senses.”
The Lucid Air’s newly-revealed sound system is optimally integrated and positioned within the vehicle’s interior to allow all occupants of the electric car to feel the relative movement of individual sounds as they move around the cabin. Dolby partnered with the legendary Capitol Records Studio C recording studio as a reference design for the vehicle’s speaker integration placement strategies. Studio C was utilized for the audio production of several feature films, including the Beatles-influenced musical Across the Universe and Leonardo DiCaprio’s award-winning film The Revenant.
When combined with the Surreal Sound system within the Lucid Air, Dolby Atmos offers an unprecedented listening experience that will revolutionize the way music is listened to within a vehicle.
Lucid Motors receives approval to build Phase 2 of Casa Grande factory
“From reimagined classics to some of today’s biggest chart-topping hits, Dolby Atmos Music has been positively embraced and viewed by the music community as one of the industry’s biggest paradigm shifts within the past 50 years,” Tim Pryde of Dolby said. “As a company, we are fully committed to bringing immersive audio to all the ways in which music is enjoyed. Automotive is a natural extension for the incredible experience of music in Dolby Atmos, and we are excited to bring this to the world with Lucid.”
A video from the Lucid and Dolby partnership is available here.
News
Tesla lands new partnership with Uber as Semi takes center stage
Tesla and Uber will work together, using the company’s all-electric Semi, to make sustainable Class 8 electric trucks more affordable with three main strategies: Subsidized Pricing, Predictable Growth, and Optimization of Utilization.

The Tesla Semi has led to a new partnership between the company and Uber, as the two are launching a program that aims to revolutionize logistics by making sustainable commercial vehicles more accessible.
Uber announced on Tuesday that it was planning to launch the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program in a new partnership with Tesla. Uber’s Freight division is mainly responsible for the new program, which it calls a “first-of-its-kind buyer’s program designed to make electric freight more affordable and accessible by addressing key adoption barriers.”
Tesla and Uber will work together, using the company’s all-electric Semi, to make sustainable Class 8 electric trucks more affordable with three main strategies: Subsidized Pricing, Predictable Growth, and Optimization of Utilization.
- Subsidized Price: Fleets purchasing Tesla Semis through this program will receive a subsidy on the purchase price.
- Predictable Growth: Fleets will integrate their Tesla Semis into Uber Freight’s dedicated solutions for shippers for a pre-determined period. This creates an opportunity for carriers to forecast revenue with confidence, while shippers gain consistent access to reliable, zero-emission capacity.
- Optimize Utilization: Uber Freight taps into its extensive freight network to match carriers with consistent, high-quality freight from our strong shipper base—helping ensure the addition of these Tesla Semis stay fully utilized and carriers see dedicated, real, measurable returns from the start
Tesla will work directly with interested companies to iron out technical details about the Semi, as well as its cost of ownership based on the tailored needs of their business. Fleets can expect savings on the first day, Uber says, as they will avoid diesel fuel costs and reduced maintenance, a widely known advantage of EVs.
Uber announced that it had partnered with select carriers to pilot the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program prior to its launch:
“During the 2-month pilot program, the Tesla Semis showcased both reliability and efficiency for Uber Freight’s shipper network. Over 394 hours of drive time, carriers covered 12,377 miles. With an average net energy consumption of just 1.72 kWh per mile and only 60 hours of total charge time, these results highlight the operational viability of Tesla Semis on demanding freight lanes. “
In its press release launching the program, Uber effectively highlights how the use of the Semi can impact a company’s margins and profitability through fuel savings, reduced maintenance costs, and lower total cost of ownership.
This is something that turns so many people away from gas cars and toward EVs, so it’s no surprise that Uber wanted to emphasize this point on a larger scale with a company that utilizes a fleet of vehicles.
Tesla Semi shows strong results in ArcBest’s real-world freight trial
Tesla has been experimenting with a select group of companies, as well. It partnered with PepsiCo. several years ago, in an effort to launch a pilot program for the Semi. It had excellent results, showing higher efficiency, lower costs, and an exceptional ability to handle long runs.
Drivers have had a lot of positive things to say:
The Semi will enter mass production next year, but we anticipate that some companies will commit to Uber’s new platform well before then.
Energy
Tesla recalls Powerwall 2 units in Australia

Tesla will recall Powerwall 2 units in Australia after a handful of property owners reported fires that caused “minor property damage.” The fires were attributed to cells used by Tesla in the Powerwall 2.
Tesla Powerwall is a battery storage unit that retains energy from solar panels and is used by homeowners and businesses to maintain power in the event of an outage. It also helps alleviate the need to rely on the grid, which can help stabilize power locally.
Powerwall owners can also enroll in the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, which allows them to sell energy back to the grid, helping to reduce energy bills. Tesla revealed last year that over 100,000 Powerwalls were participating in the program.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
The Australia Competition and Consumer Commission said in a filing that it received several reports from owners of fires that led to minor damage. The Australian government agency did not disclose the number of units impacted by the recall.
The issue is related to the cells, which Tesla sources from a third-party company.
Anyone whose Powerwall 2 unit is impacted by the recall will be notified through the Tesla app, the company said.
Cybertruck
Tesla launches Cybertruck orders in a new market with a catch

Tesla is launching Cybertruck orders in a new market, but there’s a bit of a catch.
The Cybertruck was launched in the Middle East earlier this year, as Tesla launched the ability to place a reservation for the all-electric pickup in the United Arab Emirates. It would be the first market outside of North America that would have the ability to place an order for the Cybertruck.
Tesla confirms Cybertruck will make its way out of North America this year
Other markets where the vehicle has been widely requested, like Europe and Asia, have still not approved the vehicle to be sold to the public, mostly because of size and design restrictions.
However, in the UAE, Tesla is opening up the ability for those who placed reservations for the vehicle to finally put in their order. The Order Configurator is only available to those who have already placed a reservation; it is not yet available to the public.
Tesla said it would open up the public online configurator across the Middle East in the coming weeks:
If you’re in the UAE and you have a Cybertruck reservation, you can now order your new truck
The public will get access in the coming weeks. https://t.co/KJaP7NEfiT
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 16, 2025
The UAE is not the only country that will have access to the Cybertruck, as fans in other Middle Eastern countries will also be able to place orders soon. Tesla announced back in April that Saudi Arabia and Qatar would also have Cybertruck deliveries.
These vehicles will be built at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas plant just outside of Austin, as Gigafactory Berlin and Gigafactory Shanghai, two factories located in the same hemisphere as the Middle East, do not have established lines for Cybertruck production.
As for the other markets, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted that the company could develop a smaller Cybertruck for those markets, as he admitted that in the long term, it likely made sense to build a more compact version for regions where roads are traditionally tighter.
Elon Musk hints at smaller Tesla Cybertruck version down the road
There has been no evidence of Tesla developing this more compact version, but it could eventually happen.
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