![]() Once BlueCruise is active, it seemed to generally function similarly to first-gen Super Cruise. Ford is relying on a torque sensor just like Tesla to try to detect the driver’s hands on the wheel, a much less reliable system. The GM steering wheels have capacitive sensors built in to detect when hands are on the wheel, something Jeep is including even with its hands on active driver assist on the new Wagoneer. ![]() Once the lightbar tells a GM driver to take the wheel, Super Cruise also has an advantage in detecting the driver’s response. I suspect the absence of the lightbar has more to do with cost than functionality. While that is a valid point, at least when the driver’s attention is required, the driver will clearly see the flashing of the lightbar and redundant indicators are also present in the cluster. current operating mode rather than a steering wheel light bar as found on GM Super Cruise Fordįord explains that they opted not use the lightbar because people with various types of color blindness may not be able to distinguish the colors. With the predominantly blue theme, it’s not nearly as obvious what the current status is.įord BlueCruise relies on icons in the digital instrument cluster to alert the driver about the. There is no lightbar in the Fords and all indicators are in the digital instrument cluster. Unless the driver is unconscious, it’s almost impossible to miss what mode the system is in. The Super Cruise lightbar goes blue when the system is ready, green when active and red to alert the driver. GM was the first to include this and other automakers like Mercedes-Benz are employing something similar in their upcoming systems. The first thing that is noticeable in the F-150 is the absence of the light bar in the steering wheel. When the system has detected the lane and is ready, it provides an engaged signal in the instrument cluster and the driver can put their hands in their lap. Get up to speed and centered in the lane on an approved highway and activate the hands-free mode much as you would regular cruise control. FordĪctivating the systems is pretty straightforward. this year after 500,000 miles of development testing and fine-tuning the technology on a journey across the United States and Canada. While Tesla tells drivers that Autopilot is only meant for use in divided highways, it does nothing to prevent enabling the system anywhere.įord will begin offering its new BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system to customers later. If you aren’t on one of the approved roads, the systems simply won’t engage. GM’s maps now include more than 200,000 miles of roads while Ford is initially limited to 130,000 miles although expansions are promised from both. Both GM GM and Ford use high-definition maps of divided highways across the US and Canada to limit where their respective systems can be used. ![]() The final piece of this puzzle that is also missing from Tesla is geofencing. If the DMS determines that the driver is not watching the road for more than 2-3 seconds it provides an alert to pay attention and if the driver doesn’t respond, the system will begin to slow the vehicle and bring it to a stop. This consists of a infrared emitters and a corresponding camera that watches the driver’s face looking for eye gaze and head position. Another important feature that both Super Cruise and BlueCruise have that is missing from Teslas TSLA is a driver monitor system (DMS).
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