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| Ford is targeting Tesla with the BlueCruise system |
Ford is launching its new hands-free driving feature BlueCruise in its 2021 F-150 pickup truck and some 2021 Mustang Mach-E models through a software update later this year, a technology the automaker developed to compete with similar systems from Tesla and General Motors.
Ford confirmed in an announcement that the BlueCruise system, which uses a combination of cameras, radar sensors and software to provide adaptive cruise control, lane centering and speed signal detection, has been developed and tested for nearly 500,000 miles.
The system also includes an in-cab camera that can monitor line of sight and head-of-eye position to ensure the driver's eyes remain on the road.
The autonomous driving system is suitable for vehicles equipped with the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 kit and can only be driven on certain highways.
The system will be made available through a software update later this year and will be initially deployed on North American highways over 100,000 miles.
The BlueCruise system is three years old and costs $ 600. The price of hardware upgrades depends on the vehicle.
F-150 owner pays an additional $ 995 for hardware, and owner of the Mustang Mach-E pays an additional $ 2,600.
BlueCruise is the standard configuration for the Mustang Mach-E CA Route 1, Premium, and First Edition models.
While nearly all automakers offer driver assistance features, Ford's goal is clearly to compete with General Motors and Tesla (the two companies with the most advanced ADAS driver assistance systems). The most popular and powerful).
Convincing customers that your system is worth paying for is critical to achieving their internal goal, based on company revenue and launch rate projections, to have over 100,000 BlueCruise-equipped vehicles in the first year of sale.
According to Ford, the system communicates with the driver in a number of ways, including displaying text and flashing blue light signals on the dashboard to demonstrate its effectiveness even for people with color blindness.
The company said it will move the BlueCruise system to other Ford models in the future, and drivers who choose the technology will continue to receive software updates as it improves.
Ford said: Future improvements include a feature that allows vehicles to change lanes by clicking the flashing button. In addition, the indicator can also predict and adjust the speed of vehicles at intersections and curves.