News
Lucid launches its biggest OTA update yet with ‘hundreds’ of new features
Lucid announced this morning it had launched Lucid UX 2.0, its most extensive and biggest software update, which packs “hundreds of updates and new features for every Lucid Air on the road.”
Designed as a “true software-defined vehicle,” Lucid says the Air will benefit vastly from the array of new improvements. Including new features like “Instant-On” Glass Cockpit and Pilot Panel Displays, the launch of “Highway Assist” for DreamDrive, and redesigned on-screen layouts, Lucid said the complementary update makes the vehicle more enjoyable and easier to use.
A defining moment for our software-defined vehicles. Our latest software update, Lucid UX 2.0, is our most significant rollout yet. Learn about our new features and overall improvements. #DreamAheadhttps://t.co/yvLFpBPchz pic.twitter.com/w0Cdbi0MNS
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) October 13, 2022
Since launching deliveries of the Air last year, Lucid has worked to ramp production and solve supply chain issues that have plagued the automaker’s progress. Yesterday, the company announced one of its strongest quarters to date, with 2,282 units produced last quarter with 1,398 delivered.
It has been a bright spot on a relatively disappointing year as Lucid has trimmed delivery projections for 2022 on two occasions. First aiming for 20,000 vehicles produced in 2022, then slashing to between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles. In August, Lucid pushed this goal back to between 6,000 and 7,000 vehicles.
Software Improvements
Lucid’s early EV software has been hit-and-miss, with some owners detailing various issues with basic functions that have made the vehicles stressful to drive. However, the automaker has developed a vast update that starts at the heart of software. SVP of Digital for Lucid, Michael Bell, detailed the improvements:
“This extensive software update, comprising tens of millions of new lines of source code across nearly every updateable computer in the vehicle, is achievable because the Lucid Air was engineered from the start with the capability to get better over time. Thanks to our integrated software and hardware engineering, Lucid has the in-house technical depth to enhance our vehicles long after they leave the assembly line.”
The Lucid UX 2.0 is completely designed and fabricated on owner feedback and ideas, Derek Jenkins, Senior VP of Design and Brand said. “Lucid’s truly innovative user interface becomes easier to use and even more aesthetically beautiful in each iteration, delivered seamlessly over-the-air to the vehicle.”
Glass Cockpit and Pilot Panel Displays
- “Instant-on” displays, so the car is ready to drive as soon as the driver sits down and buckles up.
- New on-screen layout for the Glass Cockpit display, moving the controls for the most-used apps like Home, Navigation, Media, and Phone to make Lucid UX more ergonomically friendly than ever.
- Updated Navigation and maps, with turn-by-turn directions now appearing on the center display directly ahead of the driver.
- More-intelligent prediction of remaining range, so drivers know even better what they can expect on the road.
- Do more with Alexa Built-In voice control, such as change the climate control settings for the rear seat.
- A more user-friendly browsing experience for third-party media apps, making it easier to see options, select favorite tunes, and start listening more quickly.
DreamDrive and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
- Highway Assist with active lane centering and adaptive cruise control, allowing for even greater driving comfort on long journeys.
- Rear Pedestrian Collision Protection is now also enabled when the vehicle is in Drive and rolling backwards.
- Improvements to visual cues for Park Distance Warning feature.
Intelligent Micro Lens Array Headlights
- High Beam Assist that detects not only other vehicles, but other sources of nearby light, and automatically switches to low beams when most appropriate.
- Automatic headlight leveling with sensor-based adjustments for height and vehicle angle in relation to the ground.
Vehicle Entry and Exit
- New De-Ice Mode combines defrost, automatic wiper blade movement, and wiper fluid to clear ice that may be obstructing the view through the windshield.
- A number of measures to make automatic locking and unlocking simpler, more intuitive, and more responsive with both the key fob and Mobile Key, as well as additional user-customizable settings.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is not an LCID shareholder.
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Elon Musk
Tesla’s Elon Musk: 10 billion miles needed for safe Unsupervised FSD
As per the CEO, roughly 10 billion miles of training data are required due to reality’s “super long tail of complexity.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has provided an updated estimate for the training data needed to achieve truly safe unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD).
As per the CEO, roughly 10 billion miles of training data are required due to reality’s “super long tail of complexity.”
10 billion miles of training data
Musk comment came as a reply to Apple and Rivian alum Paul Beisel, who posted an analysis on X about the gap between tech demonstrations and real-world products. In his post, Beisel highlighted Tesla’s data-driven lead in autonomy, and he also argued that it would not be easy for rivals to become a legitimate competitor to FSD quickly.
“The notion that someone can ‘catch up’ to this problem primarily through simulation and limited on-road exposure strikes me as deeply naive. This is not a demo problem. It is a scale, data, and iteration problem— and Tesla is already far, far down that road while others are just getting started,” Beisel wrote.
Musk responded to Beisel’s post, stating that “Roughly 10 billion miles of training data is needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving. Reality has a super long tail of complexity.” This is quite interesting considering that in his Master Plan Part Deux, Elon Musk estimated that worldwide regulatory approval for autonomous driving would require around 6 billion miles.
FSD’s total training miles
As 2025 came to a close, Tesla community members observed that FSD was already nearing 7 billion miles driven, with over 2.5 billion miles being from inner city roads. The 7-billion-mile mark was passed just a few days later. This suggests that Tesla is likely the company today with the most training data for its autonomous driving program.
The difficulties of achieving autonomy were referenced by Elon Musk recently, when he commented on Nvidia’s Alpamayo program. As per Musk, “they will find that it’s easy to get to 99% and then super hard to solve the long tail of the distribution.” These sentiments were echoed by Tesla VP for AI software Ashok Elluswamy, who also noted on X that “the long tail is sooo long, that most people can’t grasp it.”
News
Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla emerged as one of the most recognized automakers at MotorTrend’s 2026 Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards.
As could be seen in a press release from the publication, two key Tesla employees were honored for their work on AI, autonomy, and vehicle software. MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla leaders and engineers recognized
The fourth annual SDV Innovator Awards celebrate pioneers and experts who are pushing the automotive industry deeper into software-driven development. Among the most notable honorees for this year was Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Vice President of AI Software, who received a Pioneer Award for his role in advancing artificial intelligence and autonomy across the company’s vehicle lineup.
Tesla also secured recognition in the Expert category, with Lawson Fulton, a staff Autopilot machine learning engineer, honored for his contributions to Tesla’s driver-assistance and autonomous systems.
Tesla’s software-first strategy
While automakers like General Motors, Ford, and Rivian also received recognition, Tesla’s multiple awards stood out given the company’s outsized role in popularizing software-defined vehicles over the past decade. From frequent OTA updates to its data-driven approach to autonomy, Tesla has consistently treated vehicles as evolving software platforms rather than static products.
This has made Tesla’s vehicles very unique in their respective sectors, as they are arguably the only cars that objectively get better over time. This is especially true for vehicles that are loaded with the company’s Full Self-Driving system, which are getting progressively more intelligent and autonomous over time. The majority of Tesla’s updates to its vehicles are free as well, which is very much appreciated by customers worldwide.
Elon Musk
Judge clears path for Elon Musk’s OpenAI lawsuit to go before a jury
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder.
A U.S. judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding nonprofit mission can proceed to a jury trial.
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder. These claims are directly opposed by OpenAI.
Judge says disputed facts warrant a trial
At a hearing in Oakland, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated that there was “plenty of evidence” suggesting that OpenAI leaders had promised that the organization’s original nonprofit structure would be maintained. She ruled that those disputed facts should be evaluated by a jury at a trial in March rather than decided by the court at this stage, as noted in a Reuters report.
Musk helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 but left the organization in 2018. In his lawsuit, he argued that he contributed roughly $38 million, or about 60% of OpenAI’s early funding, based on assurances that the company would remain a nonprofit dedicated to the public benefit. He is seeking unspecified monetary damages tied to what he describes as “ill-gotten gains.”
OpenAI, however, has repeatedly rejected Musk’s allegations. The company has stated that Musk’s claims were baseless and part of a pattern of harassment.
Rivalries and Microsoft ties
The case unfolds against the backdrop of intensifying competition in generative artificial intelligence. Musk now runs xAI, whose Grok chatbot competes directly with OpenAI’s flagship ChatGPT. OpenAI has argued that Musk is a frustrated commercial rival who is simply attempting to slow down a market leader.
The lawsuit also names Microsoft as a defendant, citing its multibillion-dollar partnerships with OpenAI. Microsoft has urged the court to dismiss the claims against it, arguing there is no evidence it aided or abetted any alleged misconduct. Lawyers for OpenAI have also pushed for the case to be thrown out, claiming that Musk failed to show sufficient factual basis for claims such as fraud and breach of contract.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers, however, declined to end the case at this stage, noting that a jury would also need to consider whether Musk filed the lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations. Still, the dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI is now headed for a high-profile jury trial in the coming months.
Tesla’s Elon Musk: 10 billion miles needed for safe Unsupervised FSD
Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
