Lucid Motors has begun rolling out the Air UX 3.0 interface as part of software version 2.11.0, marking the biggest redesign of the Air’s software in years. The new design is based on the Gravity SUV interface and aims to make the screens faster and more responsive while reducing the number of menus drivers need to navigate.
Owners of 2025 and newer Air vehicles will receive the update over the air for free. By contrast, owners of 2022 and 2023 vehicles, along with some 2024 vehicles, need to have the infotainment processor replaced at a Lucid service center before installing the new interface. The upgrade costs $950 in the United States, including installation and excluding taxes, while the company has not announced prices for other markets. Owners must contact customer service to verify eligibility.
What changes in the Air interface?
The update reorganizes the curved Cockpit Panel behind the steering wheel around scrollable cards displaying music, nearby charging stations, navigation options to home or work, calls, and vehicle settings. When one of the cards is pulled downward, the full app opens on the vertical Pilot Panel screen in the center console.
The Pilot Panel screen also adds a Quick Controls menu that can be pulled down from the top of the screen, along with improved app transitions between the two screens and reduced lag, according to Lucid. Other changes include a redesigned dual-screen navigation layout, the addition of favorites and an automatic dark mode, as well as improved route planning for electric vehicles.
- Choosing preferred charging networks.
- Showing stations that work with Lucid-approved adapters.
- Setting the minimum expected arrival range.
- Faster switching between profiles and greater control for the primary profile over linked keys.
- Easier resetting of Guest Mode and a six-digit PIN for exiting it.
- Extending Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the full right side of the Cockpit screen, wirelessly or via USB.
The gap between software and hardware
Support for CarPlay and Android Auto is especially significant because Lucid did not make them standard across its entire lineup until 2023, and because many owners rely on phone projection every day. Marc Solsona Palomar, Lucid’s vice president of software, says the update will provide a more reliable and intuitive experience.
But the update presents a different problem for early owners: the hardware in some older vehicles lacks the processing capability required to run the new interface. This means access to an improved software experience is tied to paying an additional hardware cost, even for vehicles that are only two to four years old. The source notes that some owners of 2022 Air Dream Edition vehicles paid $169,000 for the car when they purchased it.
Why does this news matter?
The situation shows that the age of an electric vehicle is becoming tied not only to its battery and motor, but also to the computing platform that runs its interface. The free over-the-air update expands the capabilities of newer vehicles, but the processor-replacement requirement places a practical limit on support for some earlier vehicles. Bringing the Gravity interface to Air also does not, by itself, prove that reliability problems have been solved; the source points out that Lucid previously had to commit to fixing software problems in Gravity after owner complaints, while issues such as frozen apps, navigation disruptions, and loss of key tracking remained noted in later tests.
Tesla previously offered an infotainment computer upgrade for older Model S and Model X vehicles for $2,500 in 2020, then reduced the price to $1,500 after the controversy. Lucid’s price is lower, but it applies to relatively newer vehicles. The question therefore concerns not only the value of the upgrade, but also the company’s support policy for early buyers, whether Lucid will absorb or reduce the cost, and the extent to which software reliability will match the level of hardware on which the Air’s reputation depends.