Ford says its hands-free driving technology, known as BlueCruise, is now available across 15 countries in Europe following its approval from the European Commission. This unlocks access to more than 133,000km of designated highways, called Blue Zones, across Europe and will allow customers to take trips across multiple countries.
BlueCruise – a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system – uses camera and sensor data from the car together with information from the navigation system and a map database to allow for this hands-free driving on approved sections of a divided highway.
When BlueCruise is engaged, the system controls the steering, acceleration, braking, lane positioning and safe distances from the vehicle ahead by monitoring the road markings, speed signs and evolving traffic conditions, from highway speeds right down to a complete halt in traffic jams. Drivers using BlueCruise in Blue Zones can drive with their hands off the steering wheel so long as they continue to pay attention to the road ahead.
To ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road while their hands are off the wheel, a driver-facing camera located below the instrument cluster checks the driver’s head position and eye gaze – even when they are wearing sunglasses.
The BlueCruise system had already been launched in some European nations including Britain, Spain and Germany. It has also been in use in the U.S. and Canada. Ford says more than 420,000 BlueCruise equipped vehicles are on the road globally and more than 342 million hands-free kms have been driven using the system.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (August 2024)
13 August 2024