BlueCruise Hands Free vs. Hands On

[DorothyMacaw]

I am on the fence whether to rent BlueCruise or not when it expires on my 2021 Mach-E.

Does the BlueCruise subscription only add hands free driving and still keep the hands on the steering wheel auto pilot?

I am quite comfortable with letting the car do most of the work, while having my hands on the steering wheel, and don't think the additional cost for the BlueCruise package is worth it to me. Now if the hands on option is removed by not subscribing to BlueCruise, that would be a different matter for me.

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[ChuckA]

I am on the fence whether to rent BlueCruise or not when it expires on my 2021 Mach-E.

Does the BlueCruise subscription only add hands free driving and still keep the hands on the steering wheel auto pilot?

I am quite comfortable with letting the car do most of the work, while having my hands on the steering wheel, and don't think the additional cost for the BlueCruise package is worth it to me. Now if the hands on option is removed by not subscribing to BlueCruise, that would be a different matter for me.

I remember that adaptive cruise control combined with lane centering was plenty good for me until I got the trial for BlueCruise. Seemed to only add the hands free driving which isn’t worth paying for if you keep you hands on the steering wheel anyway. I’ll be letting the extension offer pass.

 

[Mach1E]

I am on the fence whether to rent BlueCruise or not when it expires on my 2021 Mach-E.

Does the BlueCruise subscription only add hands free driving and still keep the hands on the steering wheel auto pilot?

I am quite comfortable with letting the car do most of the work, while having my hands on the steering wheel, and don't think the additional cost for the BlueCruise package is worth it to me. Now if the hands on option is removed by not subscribing to BlueCruise, that would be a different matter for me.

I think that’s one of the reasons for BC 1.3 is to further differentiate it from lane keep + cruise.

1.3 adds things like lane change.

But I am with you, if BC = eye nanny and not paying $800/yr just means you replace the eye nanny with a hand nanny……

Just drove my wife’s Lincoln on the highway again and it just has the latter and it works just fine.

Whenever I use hands free, it feels more just like a fun toy to show your friends how it works. Driving alone with BC, I tend to keep my hands on the wheel anyways.

But yea, the assumption is that even without a BC subscription, you still have hands on lane keep.

 

[Trigger]

I'm going to tape eight $100 bills to the steering wheel instead. It's a better conversation starter and less prone to problems.

 

[Rt1AWD]

There is a difference. Hands On drive-assist works based on the image only, BlueCruise works based on both image and up to date HD map, obtained from Ford. Therefore BC works on two independent redundant pieces of information, which makes it more reliable.

 

[Jimrpa]

I'm going to tape eight $100 bills to the steering wheel instead. It's a better conversation starter and less prone to problems.

Where do you live again? I’ll bring a brick

 

[Jimrpa]

I’ve already renewed. I use hands-free whenever possible and love it.

 

[Mirak]

I'm going to tape eight $100 bills to the steering wheel instead. It's a better conversation starter and less prone to problems.

And that might be just heavy enough to trick the torque sensor. (Just kidding, it wouldn't, but it's very easy to do).

 

[Mirak]

There is a difference. Hands On drive-assist works based on the image only, BlueCruise works based on both image and up to date HD map, obtained from Ford. Therefore BC works on two independent redundant pieces of information, which makes it more reliable.

This is, clinically speaking, total horsesh*t. There is absolutely no evidence that the "up to date HD maps" contribute anything to the accuracy of lane centering. The maps only operate as a geofence limiting where BCHF may be used (divided highways). The lane centering is still completely reliant on the MobileEye camera system. Really think about this for a minute - you actually think our map data is detailed enough or updated enough to ever be relied upon to keep us inside a particular lane?! Please don't spread uninformed misinformation.

And to the OP, yes "Hands On" BC (Lane Centering with Adaptive Cruise Control) will still work without the subscription. All the subscription does is allow you to swap the eye nanny for the torque sensor hand nanny and take your hands off the wheel while on divided highways (oh plus "automatic" lane changes).

 

[Rt1AWD]

This is, clinically speaking, total horsesh*t. There is absolutely no evidence that the "up to date HD maps" contribute anything to the accuracy of lane centering. The maps only operate as a geofence limiting where BCHF may be used (divided highways). The lane centering is still completely reliant on the MobileEye camera system. Really think about this for a minute - you actually think our map data is detailed enough or updated enough to ever be relied upon to keep us inside a particular lane?! Please don't spread uninformed misinformation.

That is the point - the map data is not completely relied upon, but it is rather verified with image data and used only if the verification is positive. Otherwise the image data is used in Hands On mode

 

[Space_Pony]

This is, clinically speaking, total horsesh*t. There is absolutely no evidence that the "up to date HD maps" contribute anything to the accuracy of lane centering. The maps only operate as a geofence limiting where BCHF may be used (divided highways). The lane centering is still completely reliant on the MobileEye camera system. Really think about this for a minute - you actually think our map data is detailed enough or updated enough to ever be relied upon to keep us inside a particular lane?! Please don't spread uninformed misinformation.

And to the OP, yes "Hands On" BC (Lane Centering with Adaptive Cruise Control) will still work without the subscription. All the subscription does is allow you to swap the eye nanny for the torque sensor hand nanny and take your hands off the wheel while on divided highways (oh plus "automatic" lane changes).

Are you saying that with Hands On the eye nanny is disabled. I thought the eye nanny was still active even with Hands On cruise control. I haven't had any alerts for a while, but I recall getting alerts to watch the road even when not using BCHF.

 

[Mirak]

Are you saying that with Hands On the eye nanny is disabled. I thought the eye nanny was still active even with Hands On cruise control. I haven't had any alerts for a while, but I recall getting alerts to watch the road even when not using BCHF.

No - I think the eye nanny remains active no matter what. What I meant by “swap” is that the subscription allows you to bypass the torque sensor (takes hands off the wheel) and rely solely on the eye nanny.

 

[Mirak]

That is the point - the map data is not completely relied upon, but it is rather verified with image data and used only if the verification is positive. Otherwise the image data is used in Hands On mode

The map data is not “relied upon” at all for lane centering. Not one bit.

The map data is not “verified with image data.” Not one bit.

The map data is only a geofence limiting where hands-free may be used. This is a critical point. The image data is always, and exclusively, used for lane centering.

 

[Mach-Lee]

The map data is not “relied upon” at all for lane centering. Not one bit.

The map data is not “verified with image data.” Not one bit.

The map data is only a geofence limiting where hands-free may be used. This is a critical point. The image data is always, and exclusively, used for lane centering.

Nope, the map info does help steering. Basically the IPMA knows what to expect, and matches the image to the lane data it has. This is important so the lane position is maintained in tricky situations like when there is an exit lane. When lane centering is used without map data, it will be really unsure and possibly take the exit ramp by mistake. When there is map data involved, it knows it needs to keep left at the split and is way more stable. I’ve definitely noticed this using lane centering on unmapped roads vs BlueZones. The map data makes it much more confident and I don’t have to worry about it yeeting me into an exit lane unexpectedly. It’s like a co-driver in rally sport calling the turns ahead of time.

 

[Mirak]

Nope, the map info does help steering. Basically the IPMA knows what to expect, and matches the image to the lane data it has. This is important so the lane position is maintained in tricky situations like when there is an exit lane. When lane centering is used without map data, it will be really unsure and possibly take the exit ramp by mistake. When there is map data involved, it knows it needs to keep left at the split and is way more stable. I’ve definitely noticed this using lane centering on unmapped roads vs BlueZones. The map data makes it much more confident and I don’t have to worry about it yeeting me into an exit lane unexpectedly. It’s like a co-driver in rally sport calling the turns ahead of time.

What is your source for this information? I have never seen Ford publish one bit of information to support this.

Anecdotally, and I think that's all you may be relying upon, my car still gets plenty confused at exit ramps unless they are well marked (using a dashed line to maintain a cohesive lane, etc.)

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