The race for autonomous vehicles seems to mean different things for different manufacturers, and even for different divisions/companies within an organization. Tesla seeks to offer full self-driving without human assistance in most circumstances on any road. Others (like Cruise and Waymo) offering driverless options tend to work in certain geographic areas (geofencing). Ford and GM both offer hands-free ADAS, but still require the driver to keep their eyes on the road and be ready to take over if the system tells them they are losing track.
But these more limited approaches do not mean that incremental improvements and progress are out of the question in the future. Location-based systems can expand their service areas. GM’s Supercruise and Ford’s Blue Cruise can expand to run on more highways. And other features we might not have thought of are definitely on the table.
We see this happening with Ford as it announced new BlueCruise features earlier this month. The new BlueCruise 1.2* and Lincoln ActiveGlide 1.2 versions will come with lane changing features, along with other system updates to create a more human-like driving feel. The new system will be available on new vehicles from the factory this fall, starting with the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
“We are investing in our ADAS team to constantly improve BlueCruise and ActiveGlide for our customers,” said Doug Field, director of electrical and digital systems, Ford Model e. “The latest enhancements allow customers to command lane changes with a simple turn signal and make hands-free driving more humane by slowing smoothly in turns and allowing larger vehicles more space in the lanes. neighbours. These enhancements are just the start of a constant journey to improve security and, in the future, to give back customers valuable time.
BlueCruise 1.2 and ActiveGlide 1.2 will include three new features:
- With Lane Change Assist, drivers have an easier time changing lanes while using BlueCruise. If the driver presses the turn signal, the system will automatically change lanes for him. Additionally, if a driver is following slow-moving traffic, the system may suggest changing lanes.
- The predictive speed assistant immediately and automatically adjusts the speed when approaching a sharp bend and warns the driver in advance when a gear change is imminent, so that he knows why the vehicle is slowing down.
- Lane repositioning makes hands-free driving feel more natural, keeping the car in its lane while gradually moving it away from vehicles in adjacent lanes – especially useful next to large cars such as tractor-trailers.
Along with making its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) more humanistic, Ford says its engineers are constantly striving to deliver better visuals, sensing and steering experiences. Ford is also committed to updating maps with live changes that identify pre-qualified sections of highways where BlueCruise can be used; at present, 130,000 miles meet these qualifications.
Once a road has been qualified, vehicles equipped with BlueCruise detect the conditions and help confirm that the lane lines are visible. The driver’s eyes must be on the road and other conditions suitable for hands-free driving must be met before switching to hands-free driving mode. To communicate that this feature is now hands-free, there are animated cluster transitions with text as well as blue lighting cues – both of which can be easily seen by those who are color blind.
A total of 75,000 Ford and Lincoln drivers are enrolled in BlueCruise and ActiveGlide, with more than 16 million hands-free driving miles accumulated through August.
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