Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn announced the launch of BlueCruise 1.2 and Lincoln ActiveGlide 1.2 with new features — including hands-free lane changing — and other system updates to create a more “human-like” driving feel.
The available new system starts arriving on vehicles from the factory this fall — beginning with the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
“We are investing in our ADAS team to constantly improve BlueCruise and ActiveGlide for our customers,” says Doug Field, chief EV and digital systems officer for Ford Model e. “The latest improvements allow customers to command lane changes using just a turn signal, and make hands-free driving feel more human-like by smoothly slowing down for turns and giving more room to large vehicles in neighboring lanes. These improvements are just the beginning of a constant journey toward improving safety and, in the future, giving customers valuable time back.”
The lane change assist feature can help drivers move through traffic on the freeway with more confidence. The system will perform a hands-free lane change when requested by the driver tapping the turn signal, and it can even suggest if a lane change would be beneficial when following slow-moving traffic.
The predictive speed assist feature automatically and smoothly adjusts the speed as drivers approach a sharp curve and will help signal the driver ahead of time when a speed change is about to occur so they understand why the vehicle is slowing.
The in-lane repositioning system makes the hands-free highway driving experience feel more natural, keeping the vehicle in its lane while subtly shifting the vehicle’s position away from vehicles in adjacent lanes — especially helpful when next to bigger vehicles such as semis.
Ford engineers are working to improve the advanced driver assist system (ADAS) to deliver more human-like driving performance, in addition to refining visuals, sensing, and steering experiences. They’ve also been continually improving maps with over-the-air updates, identifying prequalified sections of divided highways where BlueCruise can be used. There is currently more than 130,000 miles available.
Once a pre-qualified road is identified, BlueCruise-equipped vehicles sense and help confirm lane lines are visible, the driver has his or her eyes on the road and other conditions appropriate before transitioning to hands-free driving.
BlueCruise uses animated cluster transitions featuring text and blue lighting cues to communicate that the feature is in hands-free mode, effective even for those with color blindness.
Collectively, 75,000 Ford and Lincoln owners enrolled in BlueCruise and ActiveGlide, with more than 16 million hands-free driving miles accumulated through the end of August.
