Dolby Atmos audio will now feature inside a vehicle. The Lucid Air series will feature this technology when it is released next year. The Electronic Vehicles automaker recently made the announcement.
The Surreal Sound technology will come by default with the Air Dream Edition and the Air Grand Touring. The immersive sound experience can be opted for with the Air Pure and the Air Touring variants. However, to fully utilize the audio system a high-resolution music service that enables accessing Dolby Atmos supporting Music will be required. An example would be Tidal. Lucid Motors are offering six months’ worth of subscription with the Grand Dream and the Touring variants of Lucid Air.
The Technology Behind Lucid Air
The experience has been made possible by 21 speakers set up in the car. This enables the directional immersion that comes with Dolby Atmos. The speakers are strategically positioned covering the inside so that passengers can physically sense the sound. The system also uses directional technology for real-life alerts.
Derek Jenkins, the senior VP of design for Lucid Motors, says that the breakthrough is the placement of the speakers above the head. He states that the alignment between the lower and the upper ones is paramount for the direction.
Until now, Dolby Atmos had featured only inside living rooms. From 2019, streaming services were allowed to access high-res audio. However, a similarly expensive sound system would be required to actually play the audio.
Tim Pryde, the Director of Dolby Laboratories, said that having the technology inside a car was a thought that was not feasible so far outside of experiments. He added that so far the focus was on improving the sound quality.
The Lucid Air is set to hit the streets in the latter half of the year. The lowest model, Air Pure, begins at $69000. The lowest model with Dolby Atmos is the Air Grand Touring that starts at $131500. Reservations are currently being accepted.
