Fords hands-free BlueCruise comes under scrutiny after fatal crash

Table Of Content

• Tesla Autopilot
• Electric vehicles, charging & batteries
• TechCrunch Mobility: Cruise robotaxis return and Ford’s BlueCruise comes under scrutiny
• Watch: How Ford makes car parts from used McDonald's coffee beans
• Ford Mustang Mach-E gets more range, faster charging, and quicker acceleration
• Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise comes under scrutiny after fatal crash

Then it activates the blinker, checks the blind spot, and even hustles a few mph over the setting to then clear out of the passing lane and back into the right lane once well clear of the passed car. Cruise, or speed, control dates as far back as the rivalry between America's top two automakers. Yet, the first car to feature a modern version of cruise control was the 1958 Chrysler Imperial that was advertised as "Auto-pilot." That's the same and now controversial name Tesla uses for its semi-autonomous drive system.

Tesla Autopilot

Ford BlueCruise in the 2022 F-150 Lightning, with the driver monitor camera to the right. With BlueCruise enabled, the Mach-E confidently piloted itself down the highway without any noticeable hiccups. It drove in the middle of its lane and didn't twitch excessively to stay there, though it did veer slightly side to side.

Electric vehicles, charging & batteries

If the vehicle is not centered in its lane to start, the lightbar appears blue until the conditions are met for it to turn green. It's unmistakable that it's on, especially when the voice commands confirm it. What I really wanted to try was the advanced driver-assistance system, and specifically the automatic lane change feature, which I had yet to test. Surveys have shown that people often over-rely on ADAS, treating them as fully automated driving systems, with their reaction times slower than what is considered safe when it’s time to take back control. The first fatality occurred in San Antonio, Texas, after a 44-year-old Mustang Mach-E driver using the driver assist system crashed into a stationary Honda, killing the 56-year-old driver. Another Mach-E driver was involved in a fatal crash in Philadelphia on March 3, although it’s not known yet if the BlueCruise played a role.

TechCrunch Mobility: Cruise robotaxis return and Ford’s BlueCruise comes under scrutiny

Both driver-facing cameras read head and eye position to make sure eyes are on the road. If it detects otherwise, Bluecruise will flash an alert in the instrument cluster that says "Watch the Road," and there may be an audio reminder. If you don't respond to the warning, Bluecruise shuts down and automatically slows the vehicle while maintaining the center lane. In recent testing of GM's Super Cruise in the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado and Ford's Bluecruise in the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, one thing became clear. GM is far ahead of Ford when it comes to limited hands-free driving, which is an evolution of adaptive cruise control.

Watch: How Ford makes car parts from used McDonald's coffee beans

Ford BlueCruise Expands Flexibility with Complimentary Trial, Monthly or Annual Offers for Hands-Free Driving Tech - Ford

Ford BlueCruise Expands Flexibility with Complimentary Trial, Monthly or Annual Offers for Hands-Free Driving Tech.

Posted: Mon, 14 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

If the system detects the driver's eye or head position away from the road (such as looking down at a phone), the lightbar flashes green for a few seconds and requests the driver to pay attention and tap the steering wheel. If the driver does not pay attention, audible chimes, seat vibrations, and messaging in cluster will appear, before the lightbar flashes red. If there's still no reaction, Super Cruise goes into emergency mode and activates the hazards, applies the brakes to a stop, and alerts emergency services. I found BlueCruise simple enough to switch on behind the wheel of a Mach-E. You just turn on adaptive cruise control using a button on the steering wheel and drive through a Blue Zone.

Autonomous vehicles

To put it simply, we are here to make it as easy as possible for you to drive home in a new car. Stop by our Ford dealership today to test drive the perfect Ford for you. A police spokesperson said a person from the Hyundai was also on the roadway and was hit. The NTSB can only make recommendations, but NHTSA has the authority to take action, including seeking recalls for safety issues.

Ford's hands-free BlueCruise feature is now available as a monthly or annual subscription - The Verge

Ford's hands-free BlueCruise feature is now available as a monthly or annual subscription.

Posted: Mon, 14 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Driver of electric Ford SUV was using automated system before fatal Texas crash, investigators say

“Based on data obtained from the vehicle, the driver had been operating the vehicle in BlueCruise mode before the crash,” NTSB states. There are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to the public in the U.S. Another driver who was able to avoid the CR-V told investigators that neither its tail nor hazard lights were working at the time. Base Autopilot is standard on all Teslas, and the Enhanced Autopilot, which includes Smart Summon, automatic lane changes, and navigation features, is a $6,000 option.

BlueCruise is Ford’s marquee driver assist system, which enables hands-free driving on some highways. Ford doesn’t promote the system as autonomous driving, and drivers, while allowed to take their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals, are required to keep their eyes peeled at all times and be ready to take control of the car. This is enforced with a driver monitoring system that deactivates BlueCruise if the driver looks to be distracted or sleepy. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an incident involving Ford’s hands-free driver-assist system after a Mustang Mach-E driver crashed into another vehicle in Texas, killing the occupant. A second fatal crash involving a Mach-E took place in Philadelphia, although it’s not known whether the driver-assist system played a role. In practice, they both are an extension of adaptive cruise control with a couple more icons, messages, and warnings mixed in.

The entire driver display turns blue and a steering wheel icon appears with the words "hands-free" beneath it. When the system needs the driver to take over, it clearly states "keep hands on steering wheel" and shows an image of a steering wheel with hands gripping it. Nonetheless, Tesla has the leg up on Ford as far as driver assistance features are concerned.

Also unlike Tesla's Autopilot, GM and Ford employ a driver-facing camera to monitor eye position and engagement with the road. The monitor for Super Cruise is a tiny camera on the top of the steering column, and the top of the steering wheel itself houses a light bar that's green when active, or pulsing red when it demands driver intervention. For a road trip, the victor would have to go to Ford, even though the technology may not be as capable as Tesla's. Not only will the number of compatible roads go up in the future, but Ford has a better attitude toward safety improvements than Tesla has shown in the past.

Bridgestone Americas, Universal Motors Agencies and Shikra Limited also participated. Car A comes across car C in unusual situation eg (as in this case) in the middle lane of a large highway, stationary without lights, during hours of darkness. Car A's driver manages (just) to swerve to an adjacent lane avoiding a collision wth car C; car B does not have enogh time to react (due to following car A too closely) and collides with car C. Of all the systems I've tested, including earlier iterations of Tesla's Autopilot, Super Cruise fills dreams of safe, relaxed, open highway cruising. Iterations of Super Cruise with trailering support don't have the automatic lane change function, but do enable Super Cruise to work while towing. Although BlueCruise doesn't make cars autonomous — you can't buy anything close to a self-driving car today — it promises to deliver hands-free driving on massive stretches of North American highways.

The driver of a Ford electric SUV involved in a February fatal crash in Texas was using the company’s partially automated driving system before the wreck, federal investigators said Thursday. Super Cruise uses an HD GPS receiver that locates the vehicle within about six feet of its lane, so it knows where it is. Ford relies on cameras and sensors alone, so it is less aware of where it is.   It can get confused near off ramps and wary of merging lanes. In my testing on both the Mach-E Mustang and F-150 Lightning, it tended to pinball between the lane for a longer period of time than some cars equipped with only active lane control. It seems to take longer to learn the road patterns, and on curves, ramps, merges, it can be as dodgy as a teenager in a driving test.

But it could all be worth it, depending on how much you value making long highway journeys slightly more pleasant and less demanding. For what it's worth, hands-on driver-assist systems already do this wonderfully. Promised BlueCruise updates like expanded Blue Zones and automated lane changes could make the proposition more enticing.

There are no fully autonomous vehicles for sale to the public in the US. Last year, General Motors’ Cruise self-driving car unit recalled all 950 of its cars following an accident in which one of its vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. The previous version, the Ford BlueCruise 1.2 system is found to be sensible, but it is ultimately lacking in coverage, and the system has a tendency to abruptly change speeds at times. Given that many major highways are covered in a strict road trip scenario, having Ford BlueCruise enabled might make the bi-yearly trip to Disney slightly less strenuous.

To be clear, there is no such thing as a fully self-driving car on sale today. Super Cruise, Autopilot, and Bluecruise, among others, are considered Level 2, nudging towards Level 3. The other crash involving a Mach E killed two people around 3.20am on 3 March in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. Yoshi Mobility, a Nashville-based startup that developed an app to offer drivers preventative maintenance, virtual vehicle inspections and electric vehicle charging, raised $26 million in a Series C round led by General Motors Ventures.

Basemark, a Finnish company that developed AR and computer vision software used by automakers, raised €22 million ($23.6 million) in a Series B round led by ETF Partners. Other backers include Finnish Industry Investment, Constructor Capital, Business Finland, the European Innovation Council and private investors. Based in France, she has worked previously at Wired, Fast Company, and Agence France-Presse.