Lucid Air EV: The First In The Industry To Have Dolby Atmos On Board

The first wave of Lucid Air EV units is about to ship out to eager owners this spring. Ahead of the big day, Lucid Motors revealed that its eco-friendly automobiles will be the first in the industry to ship with Dolby Atmos audio technology.

This feature was announced at the 2021 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference by the automaker.

"The world's first. Today at @SXSW, we unveiled the integration of Dolby Atmos as part of #LucidAir's new 21 speaker Surreal Sound system. More on the #LucidxDolby experience," Lucid Motors said in a tweet.

The tweet came with a short video clip showcasing how the engineers and designers approached the project. In it, Derek Jenkins, the company's senior VP of design said, "From the beginning we aspired to get the most out of this vehicle from an in-car audio standpoint."

According to the Lucid Motors website, the Air owners will experience immersive acoustics, thanks to the vehicle's 21 speakers. Each one is purposely integrated into strategic locations around the cabin such as the rear, front, sides and overhead.

This allows the in-car entertainment system to output powerful dynamic sound for occupants to enjoy. Not only is the Dolby Atmos sound enhancement dedicated for movies and music, but it will also benefit alerts and notifications, according to The Verge.

To demonstrate this, Lucid Motors presented a scenario in which one of the passengers forgot to wear their seatbelt. Instead of playing the warning chime on all 21 speakers, the Air's Surreal Sound system used Dolby Atmos to play the sound directly close to the passenger in question.

"It was very obvious to us that Lucid was trying to do something different and trying to do something that was unique to the automotive experience," Tim Pryde, director of music at Dolby, said.

The Air from Lucid Motors is a luxury-tier EV sedan that boasts an impressive range of up to 517 miles on a full charge, depending on the trim. Its entry-level version, the Air Pure, will cost $69,900 after tax credits in the United States.