Remember the KITT Pontiac from Knight Rider and its intriguing self-driving capability? Well now you can feel like David Hasselhoff too, as Ford has rolled out a new 'hands free' driving function to the Mustang Mach-E SUV.
Hands-free autonomous driving is now legal in the UK and Ford is one of the first manufacturers to offer the self-driving system on 2300 miles of motorways in England.
The new BlueCruise function, which is offered through a £17.99 monthly subscription service, allows drivers with 2023 Mustang Mach-E’s to take their hands off the wheel while driving on specific “Blue Zones”.
BlueCruise monitors road markings, speed signs and traffic conditions to control steering, acceleration, braking and lane positioning, while also maintaining a safe distance to the vehicle ahead.
The BlueCruise system builds on to Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC) and will automatically take control of the wheel when the car enters a Blue Zone section of motorway.
BlueCruise equipped vehicles will confirm that lane markings are visible and that the drivers eyes are on the road before transitioning to hands-free driving.
The system operates up to a maximum speed of 80mph, using a number of radars and sensors to detect vehicles and maintain road positioning.
Ford has also implemented an infrared driver-facing camera below the instrument cluster to monitor the driver’s gaze and head pose to ensure their attention remains focused on the road.
The self-driving function will shut down if the driver does not respond to warnings from the car alerting them to stay focused on the road – and will even bring the car to a gradual stop if needed.
Ford tested the hands-free driving function over 100,000 miles on European roads to validate the latest generation advanced driver assistance systems, which followed on from the 600,000 miles of testing conducted in the US and Canada.
“It’s not every day that you can say you’ve placed one foot in the future, but Ford BlueCruise becoming the first hands-free driving system of its kind to receive approval for use in a European country is a significant step forward for our industry,” said Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e, Europe.
“Modern highways can be demanding even for the most confident drivers, and intimidating for many. BlueCruise can do some of the ‘heavy lifting’, to make highway driving less of a chore, and give drivers that little extra confidence and convenience.”
The Blue Oval is currently working with regulatory organisations to offer BlueCruise through a software update in order for pre-2023 Mustang Mach-E modes with the optional Tech Pack or Tech Pack + to benefit from the system.
Ford already offers the system in certain states where it is legal in the USA. Tesla and General Motors also offer models in the US that offer 'hands-free' driving.
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