Innovations in the auto industry have led to everything from seatbelts to autonomous driving. But brands often find themselves trying to improve on pre-existing tech instead of coming up with something totally different. And if we are honest, most day-to-day lives are built around the simple conveniences in our vehicles, like cupholders, or one-touch up and down windows. It doesn’t have to be autonomous driving. But EV automaker Lucid is going above and beyond those overlooked daily conveniences. They have created three innovations that the rest of the auto industry needs to adapt if they want to keep buyers under their brand. Otherwise, you might start seeing more of these sleek EVs in your own neighborhood.
Base Trim Engine
EV
Base Trim Transmission
1-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Pros & Cons
Beautiful
Lots of range
Very smooth
A-Pillar makes visibility annoyingly tough for the driver
Nearly all the controls are in the screens
Small cup holders only work for drinks that size of soda cans
1
The Genius Pilot Panel Is A Movable Screen That Reveals A Hidden Storage Space
2026 Lucid Air Touring showing the pilot panel in the resting positionSource: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet
When Lucid was making their Air sedan, they were able to start from scratch. That empty page allowed Lucid to rethink the space and storage options in the center console. They came up with the Pilot Panel. This simple function allows the 12.5″ screen responsible for climate controls and a few other car functions, to slide up and out of the way. Once retracted, you get access to a hidden storage area large enough for a large camera (as I found out), a small purse, or a full junk drawer of knick-knacks.
2026 Lucid Air Touring showing the genius pilot panel retracted to show the storage areaSource: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet
Sure, everyone is using screens now, so that’s not that interesting, but what impressed me was how Lucid was able to rethink how those screens interact with our lives. Sometimes, it feels like automakers force us into a certain mold. Like they get to decide if everyone wants giant screens and wants to touch and tap all day long. But that’s not the case. With the Pilot Panel, not only are you able to slide it back so you can access that storage area, but often times I found once I dialed in my climate, I just left it retracted into the dash. Less screens!? Can you even fathom that?!
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2
Using Radars And Cameras, Lucid’s Technology Is A Lifeguard For Your Precious Wheels
2026 Lucid Air Touring showing a tight shot on the 19″ aero wheelsSource: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet
We’ve all had that moment of utter cringe when parking. You are focused on the surroundings (or so you think) and suddenly, there is a guttural grind. A scream from those oh-so-babied wheels of yours fills your ears and saddens your heart. You have curbed your wheels. And those grooves go as deep as if Wolverine himself clawed at your 19″ rims. They aren’t going to be simply buffed out. Lucid solved this car enthusiast nightmare by using the pre-existing technologies built into their Lucid within the Dream Drive Pro ($6,750) package. They created a Curb Rash Alert.
This technology does exactly what you think; it helps prevent you from curbing the wheels. It uses sensors, cameras, and LiDAR to warn the driver that the wheels are getting close to the curb. If you do indeed get close to scraping those 19″ Aero Range Stealth wheels, a beeping alert will sound much like a parking sensor when you are backing up and about to hit a wall. At the same time, the retractable Pilot Panel screen displays a red line around the wheels. It’s not like they have to create a whole new feature, but instead Lucid pieces together pre-existing components to pull off another task.
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3
Why Has It Taken So Long To Design A Trunk With This Wide Of An Opening?
2026 Lucid Air Touring with the trunk openSource: Bradley Hasemeyer / Hot Cars / Valnet
And the last piece of innovation that other brands can take full advantage of is the brilliant rethinking of how a trunk should open. That sounds simple. But Lucid’s trunk opens not only the horizontal part of the vehicle like nearly everyone else, but also lifts the vertical part from tail light to tail light. I was shocked when I saw it in person. It’s sort of a hybrid between a hatch and a traditional trunk opening. Again, this isn’t advanced science and materials. It’s just rethinking what function something should provide for the user. One obvious benefit is how easy it is to fit in long or wide objects. Golf clubs, for instance, would be a breeze to fit in sideways and slide back.
Think about those times you’ve tried to angle something wide just enough to slide one part into the side of the trunk and then hope the other one will lay down. Even vehicles with a much larger cargo volume can be frustrating to load. The opening can be narrow or awkward. This take on how a trunk should work, also lowers the load-in height to a much more manageable level. And again, this is the type of innovation you get from a brand that rethinks the car from the ground up.
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Final Thoughts: No One Beats A Tech Company When It Comes To Innovation, So Other Brands Watch Out!
Clearly, these are helpful, real-world innovations. Unfortunately, for now, you’ll need to drop around $80,000 for those types of features to pick up a Lucid for yourself. And you might want to consider one. It’s a formidable EV. It has one of the best ranges in the whole EV landscape at 431 miles of range. And according to the EPA will only cost you $650 a year in “fuel.” Even a basic Honda Accord will cost you twice that. The materials and exterior styling put it in a class all by itself. And that level of auto excellence, compared against what’s coming out of industry veterans like Porsche, Mercedes, and even rival Tesla is so impressive. I will point out, the A-pillar is very wide, combined with the raked glass and I found myself annoyed at trying to look around it to see traffic, signs, and scenery. The cup holders are also strangly small. But other than those knocks, I love this fresh take on what a car should and could be: beautiful, fast, very usable range, and innovative in the practical sense. Impressive stuff from a little tech startup out of Silicon Valley.
