BlueCruise- what do you do while it's on?

[Snakebitten]

I've done several very long straight runs on Interstate 10 from Texas to the Atlantic. (Jacksonville)

It's the perfect circumstance for Bluecruise 1.3/1.4
Literally many hours without touching pedals or steering the vehicle.

Still, one of my hands is very slightly in touch with the wheel, and my attention is to what is going on around me is no different.

But I'm also aware that there's really no way to convey in words what it is like to someone who isn't or hasn't experienced the same. I know that because it's different than I had imagined myself.

I would be very disappointed if 1.3/1.4 was unstable like some have reported. Although I realize that that ~1000 mile stretch of I-10 is almost cheating compared to the roads that many might be using Bluecruise on.

Also note that I am talking about my truck, rather than my Mach-E. But the limited amount that I got to use Bluecruise 1.3 in my Mach-E, before the trial ended, was very much similar. In fact I thought the lane changing was more refined.

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[Kamuelaflyer]

I'm glad no one said anything about knitting or doing the crossword. Yet.

I used to fly the B-747 with a Captain that would knit while hurtling through the air 575 mph in a flying gas tank weighing well over 700,000 lbs. The flight engineer would usually be asleep.

Later, on the MD-11 and B-777, crosswords were all the thing. Or Sudoku. I usually did union work, or read.

Don’t you feel better about how people use Blue Cruise now.

 

[Rudy Bega]

With the latest BlueCruise update, the "BlueCruise is available" toast has popped up a lot. I don't use BC very often, but wanted to see how it behaved with the enhancements. It's better, moves a little to give semis some room, seems a little smoother on speed changes, that sort of thing.

While letting it run for a few miles, two thoughts occurred to me- 1) It's more stressful to watch what it's doing than it is to do it myself; b) I don't have much of anything to do if I'm not driving.

B) led me to a question for the heavy BC-use crowd: What do you do while BlueCruise is on?

“Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel, let it roll baby roll” J Morrison

 

[Gratefulone420]

With the latest BlueCruise update, the "BlueCruise is available" toast has popped up a lot. I don't use BC very often, but wanted to see how it behaved with the enhancements. It's better, moves a little to give semis some room, seems a little smoother on speed changes, that sort of thing.

While letting it run for a few miles, two thoughts occurred to me- 1) It's more stressful to watch what it's doing than it is to do it myself; b) I don't have much of anything to do if I'm not driving.

B) led me to a question for the heavy BC-use crowd: What do you do while BlueCruise is on?

I'm a musician, so usually playing drums on my legs while the music is blasting

 

[4sallypat]

BC 1.2 to 1.3 - have not noticed any difference on my long distance road trips.

Usually I stretch, eat burger or Asian food with chopsticks, and love the gawks I get from other drivers.

 

[louc757]

I put We Will Rock You by Queen on and start clapping my hands. Oh wait, I do that in my Silverado.

 

[music_cities]

With the latest BlueCruise update, the "BlueCruise is available" toast has popped up a lot. I don't use BC very often, but wanted to see how it behaved with the enhancements. It's better, moves a little to give semis some room, seems a little smoother on speed changes, that sort of thing.

While letting it run for a few miles, two thoughts occurred to me- 1) It's more stressful to watch what it's doing than it is to do it myself; b) I don't have much of anything to do if I'm not driving.

B) led me to a question for the heavy BC-use crowd: What do you do while BlueCruise is on?

I mostly rest one finger on the steering wheel, so that I have a tactile awareness of what it's doing. I really love the "higher level view" that I take on, of observing other vehicles and predicting their behaviour, watching road conditions more carefully (including watching for construction paint or other things that could confuse BC), checking out the makes and models of other vehicles, observing the play of sunlight on the prairies, etc. If my fingers leave the steering wheel, they rest on my lap underneath the steering wheel — I've had one or two incidents where a very quick response was required, so I don't want my hands far away.

If there's no traffic, and the highway is straight, etc, I'll take the opportunity to adjust my clothing, adjust my seat, pick a different playlist, etc. Or maybe I'll take the opportunity to phone someone, or text someone using Siri. But I'm careful to still be aware and ready, in any situation.

 

[music_cities]

Bluecruise has allowed me to take long-distance road trips without the anxiety I used to have. I'm still paying attention if something happens, but by eliminating the monotony I'm less worried I'll burn out or fall asleep.

The bigger feature I use a lot is the hands-on lane keeping feature in under 10mph stop-and-go traffic. I discovered it does NOT yell at you to keep your hands on the wheel if you stay under 10-15mph. In really creeping traffic I can be hands free even without bluecruise available.

Creeping stop-and-go traffic is *so much better* now that I have the MachE. It used to be so tiresome.

 

[CarsIMBwife]

I used to have the ’grip of death’ on the steering wheel while road trips. Now even with HF I just rest my left hand on the lower portion of the wheel. This is so much more relaxing and I can focus on the road more. I can also comfortably do a 3 hour leg vs. a 2 hour leg in my previous car.

 

[david_quick]

The thing about BC is it makes for a much more relaxed travel experience. Monitor the road and car but you can look around a little and see things that you would not have if you were not using BC.

 

[ctenidae]

Eat the occasional ham sammie.

But my favourite use is in stop 'n go traffic. That's a sanity saver.

It is useful for finishing a two handed food item.

Maybe I'm just contrary, but I find stop and go traffic to be the worst use case. It can't look 3-4 cars up and predict what they'll do, and it just jumps off the line and slams on the brakes as it hits following distance set points. Almost enough to make me car sick, certainly enough to slosh my coffee around.

 

[ctenidae]

I used to fly the B-747 with a Captain that would knit while hurtling through the air 575 mph in a flying gas tank weighing well over 700,000 lbs. The flight engineer would usually be asleep.

Later, on the MD-11 and B-777, crosswords were all the thing. Or Sudoku. I usually did union work, or read.

Don’t you feel better about how people use Blue Cruise now.

Not too many semis, minivans, or motorcycles at 35,000 feet, of course. Crazy, when you think about it, that's it's "easier" to fly a plane than it is to drive to the grocery store.

 

[ARK]

With the latest BlueCruise update, the "BlueCruise is available" toast has popped up a lot. I don't use BC very often, but wanted to see how it behaved with the enhancements. It's better, moves a little to give semis some room, seems a little smoother on speed changes, that sort of thing.

While letting it run for a few miles, two thoughts occurred to me- 1) It's more stressful to watch what it's doing than it is to do it myself; b) I don't have much of anything to do if I'm not driving.

B) led me to a question for the heavy BC-use crowd: What do you do while BlueCruise is on?

I’ve only really used BlueCruise about a dozen times or so. In theory, I agree with you - if we can’t really disengage because we have to be ready to take over at any time, what’s the point?

In practice though, I have found it helpful on long distance trips with light traffic. Taking care of most gentle turns on the freeway, being able to let go of the steering wheel, it really has an effect on minimizing driver fatigue. I feel less tired at the end of the driving.

But in heavy stop and go traffic, I don’t like letting the steering wheel go. Even with the start/stop feature, I have a hard time trusting it enough to relax, but maybe it’s because I haven’t used it enough in this situation.

 

[Travlcub]

With the latest BlueCruise update, the "BlueCruise is available" toast has popped up a lot. I don't use BC very often, but wanted to see how it behaved with the enhancements. It's better, moves a little to give semis some room, seems a little smoother on speed changes, that sort of thing.

While letting it run for a few miles, two thoughts occurred to me- 1) It's more stressful to watch what it's doing than it is to do it myself; b) I don't have much of anything to do if I'm not driving.

B) led me to a question for the heavy BC-use crowd: What do you do while BlueCruise is on?

I check my emails, Zoom meetings, online Christmas shopping.

Ok kidding. I generally keep my eyes on the road. But I do occasionally do some neck rolls or adjust my fat bum in the seat.

 

[Travlcub]

I’ve only really used BlueCruise about a dozen times or so. In theory, I agree with you - if we can’t really disengage because we have to be ready to take over at any time, what’s the point?

In practice though, I have found it helpful on long distance trips with light traffic. Taking care of most gentle turns on the freeway, being able to let go of the steering wheel, it really has an effect on minimizing driver fatigue. I feel less tired at the end of the driving.

But in heavy stop and go traffic, I don’t like letting the steering wheel go. Even with the start/stop feature, I have a hard time trusting it enough to relax, but maybe it’s because I haven’t used it enough in this situation.

Huge learning curve I agree

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