► Ford’s autonomy plans
► BlueCruise approved for use in GB
► Available on 2023 Mustang Mach-E models
Ford has announced that its BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system has been approved for use in England, Scotland and Wales. The brand is touting it as the first ‘hands-off, eyes-on’ driver assistance tech.
BlueCruise is already active in North America, available on models like the F-150 Lightning among others. Here, buyers can subscribe to BlueCruise (i.e. pay for the service monthly) on MY2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E models for now, with the service to likely roll out to more cars (and other European countries) over the next few years.
For Mach-E owners, the first 90 days of ownership includes BlueCruise free of charge, almost acting like a free trial to the technology. After that, Ford wants £17.99 per month to keep the tech activated.
BlueCruise works up to 80mph and uses pre-mapped roads to deliver better driving accuracy, as well as using its suite of cameras, radar and sensors to lane-keep and monitor speed signs and traffic levels. The Level 2.5 driver assistance system works a lot like General Motors’ Super Cruise, which also uses maps to its advantage.
Using GPS data gives these systems an edge over ones like Tesla’s Autopilot, as well as countless other driver assist systems on the market. Only VW Group offers something similar with its Travel Assist, which slows your car down when it detects a sharp bend or roundabout ahead.
Engineers and developers undertook around 100,000 miles of testing on Europe’s roads to make sure BlueCruise worked safely, on top of the some 600,000 miles already undertaken in the US and Canada.
‘There’s a good reason why Ford BlueCruise is the first hands-free driving system of its kind to be cleared for use in a European country: We’ve proven that it can support the driver while still requiring that they keep their eyes on the road,’ says Torsten Wey, chief ADAS engineer at Ford Europe.