Lucid Motors is rolling out a new software update that addresses persistent door handle issues on its Gravity SUV, improving response times and preventing unintended repeated movements.
The upgrade is part of a series of fixes to a system that the company has now decided to abandon altogether for its three upcoming midsize models.
The update, designated V3.5.0 and contained in the Lucid UX 3.5 software package, began rolling out to North American Gravity owners over the last few days.
It includes two door handle-specific fixes: improved exterior handle behaviour to prevent unintended repeated movements, and faster door-opening response times from both inside and outside the vehicle.
Analog Door Handles
The same day the update began reaching Gravity owners, Lucid‘s design chief Derek Jenkins stood before investors in New York and announced that the company’s next vehicle.
The mid-size SUV — named Cosmos and set to be unveiled this summer — will use fully mechanical door handles, eliminating the electric mechanism entirely.
“And — brace yourself for this one — mechanical analog door handles! Inside and outside the vehicle,” Jenkins said at Investor Day.
“What a time to be alive. The future is now. Okay, I’m joking, but they are pretty good,” the Design Chief added.
A Recurring Issue
The Gravity’s electric door handles have been a source of frustration since deliveries began last year.
The handles use an electronically actuated deployment mechanism — the owner approaches, the handle presents outward, and the door opens.
The system has experienced intermittent failures, sluggish response, and unintended repeat movements that have required multiple software interventions.
Lucid’s OTA history for the Gravity shows a pattern of access-related fixes across successive updates.
Version 3.3.20, released on December 12, 2025, addressed startup times when opening the door and enhanced key fob detection.
Version 3.4.0, released on January 28, updated vehicle access controls comprehensively, including improvements to passive entry and exit performance and door window parameters “to improve window closure for regular window use and for door opening.”
The V3.5.0 update is the first to target the door handle mechanism specifically by name.
The V3.5.0 Remote Start feature description also references the handle system.
When keyless driving is activated from the mobile app, a two-minute timer begins and the vehicle unlocks — but Lucid‘s release notes specify that “the driver door handle must be pushed in, so it deploys out allowing the door to be opened.”
Why Cosmos Goes Mechanical
Electric motors will lower each door’s frameless window glass slightly when the handle is operated, the same system already used in the Air and Gravity, but the handle itself is entirely analogue.
The decision serves multiple purposes.
It removes a component that has generated repeated software fixes and owner complaints on the Gravity.
It reduces manufacturing cost and complexity — critical for Lucid’s target of reaching profitability in the long run.
China has moved to ban certain electric door mechanisms over safety concerns, with the United States and Europe expected to follow.
Several incidents with Xiaomi, Tesla, and several other vehicles over the past few months have gone viral on social media, raising concerns about the door handle mechanism.
Jenkins framed the mechanical handles alongside other physical controls retained in the Cosmos, including buttons for audio volume, tuning, and climate, as well as physical turn signal stalks and a physical gear selector.
“We kept the physical controls, of course,” he said. “Keeping our tactile feeling on the steering wheel, so we can control screen and features alike.”
Beyond Door Handles
The V3.5.0 update includes a broader set of improvements beyond the door handle fix.
The headline feature is the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The update also introduces a new machine-learning-powered voice engine for clearer call quality, remote start via the mobile app, improved DC fast-charging performance through smarter preconditioning, and ADAS improvements to hands-on detection.
The Middle East and European rollout of V3.5.0 is scheduled for late March.
The company said at Investor Day that more than 95% of the Gravity’s features are improvable over the air.
Lucid gave media and Wall Street analysts their first hands-on access to the Cosmos at the same Investor Day event.
The Saudi-backed EV maker showed both a finished design mockup and a body-in-white production-validation vehicle that confirms assembly-line tooling is already being tested.
Phones were confiscated before attendees entered the viewing area and no exterior photographs have been published.
However, several outlets provided detailed accounts of what they saw, offering the most complete picture yet of the vehicle Lucid’s design team has been developing for more than two years.
