![]() The “hands-off, eyes-on” technology is designed to control steering, acceleration and braking while ensuring that the driver remains alert. But these are not autonomous systems, and drivers need to be ready to take the wheel at any time to react to changing road conditions.Ford Motor has received approval for its BlueCruise technology in the UK, which will allow drivers to legally take their hands off the wheel while driving on certain motorways. ![]() “It certainly takes some stress out of driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and should be similarly pleasant on long-distance road trips. “Like GM’s Super Cruise, Ford’s BlueCruise provides a hands-free driving experience on certain limited-access highways,” writes Rogers in closing. This wasn’t necessarily a fault of BlueCruise itself - I have found that ACC systems in general are slow to react to vehicles merging into or out of my lane - but it goes to show that you still need to have your wits about you at all times. A Civic driver with little concern for their personal safety accelerated to merge right in front of my F-150, and the truck didn’t slow down quickly enough. I didn’t experience many technical issues in either vehicle on my limited test drive, but there was one instance in which I was forced to make an emergency maneuver. I never had to adjust the following distance from one of the medium settings, and the system gives you a few beats to put your hands on the wheel when it needs you to resume control. When engaged, BlueCruise does a good job at approximating typical human driving behavior. Ford has decided to treat BlueCruise like a typical ACC system in which you can choose one of four following distances. ![]() The other difference between the two competing systems is that GM’s Super Cruise has one prescribed distance for the adaptive cruise control (ACC) aspect. When you press the cruise control button, however, the instrument panel graphics turn blue to inform you that BlueCruise is active and you can take your hands off the wheel. Ford’s system isn’t so obvious in letting you know when it’s ready. The primary difference is that GM vehicles with Super Cruise have an LED light bar integrated into the steering wheel to let you know when Super Cruise can be activated. In this way, BlueCruise functions similarly to GM’s Super Cruise. Simply press the cruise control button and acceleration, braking and turning is handed over to BlueCruise. This lets you know that BlueCruise is ready to activate. Once this is established - and you’re driving on a preapproved road - a ring will appear around a graphic of the vehicle in the digital instrument panel. The system itself melds several driver aids that are already present on the majority of cars today, but with a head- and eye-tracking component that makes sure you’re paying attention. ![]() I had the opportunity to drive both an F-150 and Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise, and there was no functional difference in how the system behaved in each vehicle. In both cases, the BlueCruise hardware is tied to the Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 package. The first vehicles to receive BlueCruise functionality will be two of Ford’s newest models - the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E and 2021 Ford F-150. And because BlueCruise relies on clearly visible lane markers, traveling on highway sections that lack them will deactivate the system. Divert your attention for too long and the system will deactivate. To that end, BlueCruise includes a head and eye position sensor to make sure you’re watching the road ahead. BlueCruise will not take evasive action if there is a small obstruction in the road - a box on the freeway, for instance - and you must be ready to perform advanced maneuvers if necessary. As the driver, you have to be alert and prepared to take the wheel at any time. Like Super Cruise, Ford’s BlueCruise system is not autonomous. Simply press the cruise control button on the steering wheel and you can take your hands off the wheel to let the vehicle drive itself. Once the vehicle is traveling on one of the 100,000 miles of qualified roadways (Ford dubs these Hands-Free Blue Zones) and certain conditions have been met, a graphic appears in the instrument panel to let you know that BlueCruise is ready for activation. An anonymous reader quotes a report from Edmunds, written by Cameron Rogers: BlueCruise operates on the same principle as Super Cruise.
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