Ford Tests BlueCruise Hands-Free Driving in “Mother of All Road Trips” Ahead of Mach-E OTA Software Update

[macchiaz-o]

A question I have, although not relevant to us Mach-E drivers, is will BlueCruise work on an F-150 towing a trailer? That would be pretty impressive.

Mike Levine responds with not at this time:

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[BDC]

Has anybody found a zoomable map yet? At first I was thinking this was only going to cover the interstates, but it looks like maaaaaybe it might cover my highway commute through town?! There is a very encouraging blue blur where Wichita is.

It should definitely be more than interstates, since that system is only about 47,000 miles, but they claim over 100,000.

 

[macchiaz-o]

It should definitely be more than interstates, since that system is only about 47,000 miles, but they claim over 100,000.

"Pre-qualified sections of divided highways." This may be road lanes or similar ways of measuring.

 

[Stang68]

It should definitely be more than interstates, since that system is only about 47,000 miles, but they claim over 100,000.

It's definitely more than the interstates, looks like the Garden State Parkway is included.

 

[methorian]

Doesn't the Mach-E already have this today? If you're going above a certain speed (I think 35 or 40 mph), it will detect when you're straying outside the lines and will first alert you (on the dashboard) and then gradually nudge you back into the lane. There's some level of customization in the car settings, but you also need to turn it on via the button on the steering wheel (I went almost 2 weeks without knowing this was a feature)

That's just lane keep assist - it'll just ping-pong you back and forth. Right now the only time lane centering is active is if you have cruise-control on. Lane centering keeps you the center, as the name implies. I want that without having to have cruise-control on, which is what the announcement seems to indicate will come with BlueCruise at some point as well.

 

[mixduptransistor]

Future enhancements are planned to include Lane Change Assist that will let the vehicle change lanes with just a tap of the turn signal indicator

Is this a new announcement? This is great, I didn't know lane change was ever going to happen. 1000% happier with my decision to trade my Tesla, which only had Autopilot (no lane change) now

 

[waldo1949]

FORD’S ‘MOTHER OF ALL ROAD TRIPS’ TESTS BLUECRUISE HANDS-FREE DRIVING AHEAD OF OVER-THE-AIR PUSH TO F-150, MUSTANG MACH-E

APR 14, 2021 | DEARBORN, MICH.

• Following 500,000 miles of development testing, Ford embarked on a 110,000-mile “Mother of All Road Trips” across the United States and Canada to prove out BlueCruise hands-free highway driving technology in a wide range of driving and weather conditions
• 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with the available Ford Co-Pilot360™ Active 2.0 Prep Package can receive BlueCruise later this year through over-the-air software update.
• BlueCruise will give drivers the comfort and confidence of hands-free driving on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones that make up more than 100,000 miles of North American roads
• Additional Ford vehicles to receive BlueCruise technology in coming years as Ford continues to add additional highways and deliver new hands-free driving capabilities to F-150, Mustang Mach-E and more

DEARBORN, Mich., April 14, 2021 – Ford will begin offering its new BlueCruise hands-free highway driving system to customers later this year after 500,000 miles of development testing and fine-tuning the technology on a journey across the United States and Canada.

Last year, Ford sent a fleet of 10 test vehicles – five F-150 pickups and five all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUVs – to complete what test drivers dubbed the “Mother of All Road Trips.” The trek covered more than 110,000 miles through 37 states and five Canadian provinces to challenge BlueCruise against a wide range of road, weather and traffic conditions.

“There are highway intricacies and driving conditions that you simply cannot replicate in a lab,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product platform and operations officer. “Sending these vehicles out for real-world driving experience is just one of many ways we ensured that BlueCruise technology offers confidence and convenience for drivers all across the continent.”

Via over-the-air software updates, BlueCruise will be offered later this year on 2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E models equipped with the available Ford Co-Pilot360™ Active 2.0 Prep Package. Over-the-air software updates allow owners of select Ford vehicles to update software from the convenience of their own garage.

Ford is targeting to sell more than 100,000 vehicles equipped with BlueCruise in the first year, based on company sales and take-rate projections.

Mother of All Road Trips becomes the ultimate Ford test drive
All 10 test vehicles – one departing from Palo Alto, California, the others from Dearborn, Michigan – spent much of last November and December winding their way across the United States and Canada. Test drivers searched for every conceivable road condition and highway driving scenario, monitoring the system’s performance, collecting data and highlighting areas where improvements could be made.

The trip marked the final leg of a development process that ran up more than a half-million miles in a series of shorter test drives, each designed to evaluate a specific aspect of BlueCruise. As real-world validation of those earlier tests, road trip enabled the system to scan for variances in road signage, lane markings, exit ramps, traffic patterns and weather.

“I drive long-distance quite often, whether out to Boston or down to Florida to visit family or friends, and usually I mentally tire out on drives that far,” said Alexandra Taylor, BlueCruise feature development engineer, who logged more than 3,000 miles in an F-150 on the trek. “The one thing that became clear is that, when using BlueCruise, long drives aren’t nearly as mentally taxing to me.”

Taylor and fellow BlueCruise engineer Shruti Gotadki set out on an eight-day journey that wound through the southeast United States, targeting driving differences between Jacksonville, Louisville, Atlanta and other major urban areas.

Back at the Ford lab, driver-assist technology supervisor Justin Teems monitored the progress of the entire fleet, corralling important data that will help shape BlueCruise driving experience in the months and years ahead.

“It was like mission control,” Teems said. “We really wanted to push BlueCruise to its limits. Every state builds roads a little differently. When you include factors like lane line degradation, weather and construction, building a hands-free driving system becomes extremely complex. Those complexities are why Ford has the best team of engineers in the world working on it.”

BlueCruise, the evolution of Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology
Using both advanced camera and radar-sensing technologies and building upon Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, Lane Centering and Speed Sign Recognition, BlueCruise adds a new level of convenience for drivers with vehicles equipped with Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology. The feature allows a driver to operate truly hands-free on prequalified sections of divided highways called Hands-Free Blue Zones. A driver-facing camera in the instrument cluster monitors eye gaze and head position to help ensure the driver’s eyes remain on the road.

Currently, more than 100,000 miles of highways across North America are dedicated Hands-Free Blue Zones in the Ford GPS mapping system. BlueCruise uses blue lighting on the digital instrument cluster to indicate when the vehicle is in a hands-free zone.

In addition to the full hands-free mode, equipped vehicles will also feature Lane Centering mode. Lane Centering works on most roads with lane lines and can help keep the vehicle centered in its lane but requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel. In either mode, a visual prompt on the instrument cluster notifies drivers when they need to return their attention to the road or resume control of the vehicle.

BlueCruise is an SAE Level 2 driver-assist technology, similar to Tesla Autopilot but with the advantage of offering a true hands-free driving experience while in Hands-Free Mode that does not require a driver’s hands to stay in contact with the steering wheel, unless prompted by vehicle alerts.

And unlike other approaches – such as GM’s Super Cruise, which uses red and green lighting, or Tesla’s Autopilot, which requires a driver keep their hands on the steering wheel – BlueCruise communicates with drivers in different ways. The instrument cluster transitions to communicate that the feature is in Hands-Free mode through text and blue lighting cues, effective even for those with color blindness.

More highways and features to come
Beyond the 2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E, additional Ford vehicles will also receive BlueCruise hands-free driving technology, while current owners continue to receive over-the-air software updates to add new features and capabilities in the coming years.

Future enhancements are planned to include Lane Change Assist that will let the vehicle change lanes with just a tap of the turn signal indicator, and Predictive Speed Assist that will adjust vehicle speed for road curves, roundabouts and more.

Ford also plans to offer regular mapping updates for the technology to recognize changes plus thousands of miles of planned new road additions.

Affordable hands-free highway driving technology
2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E customers will be able to purchase BlueCruise software – including a three-year service period – for $600 in the second half of 2021, when it’s ready to launch. Hardware pricing varies by vehicle.

For F-150, BlueCruise is available as a part of the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package for a total of $1,595 – $600 for the software and $995 for the hardware. The Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package is standard on F-150 Limited and available as an option on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum models.

For Mustang Mach-E, BlueCruise comes standard on CA Route 1, Premium and First Edition variants. It’s an available package on the Select trim for $3,200 – $ 600 for the software and $2,600 for the rest of the package – as part of the larger Comfort and Technology package, which includes features such as a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and heated steering wheel.

The MME already self adjusts speed and steers itself when in cruise control. What’s so great about taking your hands off the wheel???? Where you gonna put em?

 

[LincolnLuvr]

Looks good! No word on whether it will have auto-lane change capability?

 

[Jimrpa]

Here is the map of highways that will be available at launch

Is there a better resolution version of this map please?

 

[Jimrpa]

Being that they offered us early adopters a $100 incentive, to combat the $600 OTA cost, I think this was just marketing not making it totally clear how it works.

I agree, but a guy can hope ??????

 

[Jimrpa]

I don't know if it's an error et they didn't describe correctly but I read in that paragraph that it will be free for Premium + owner

" For Mustang Mach-E, BlueCruise comes standard on CA Route 1, Premium and First Edition variants.

It’s an available package on the Select trim for $3,200 – $ 600 for the software and $2,600 for the rest of the package – as part of the larger Comfort and Technology package, which includes features such as a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and heated steering wheel."

Already noted on page one of this thread ???

 

[Jimrpa]

Perhaps they already have.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/base-msrp-increase-for-premium.5008/

Then that would support my theory that we are getting it at no cost when it comes out ?

 

[ChasingCoral]

Is this a new announcement? This is great, I didn't know lane change was ever going to happen. 1000% happier with my decision to trade my Tesla, which only had Autopilot (no lane change) now

Looks good! No word on whether it will have auto-lane change capability?

This is the first announcement of lane changing I’ve seen. It appears to be semi-automatic — you signal and the Mach E change lanes.

 

[generaltso]

I’ve read a ton on this car and never saw a thing about there being a subscription until today.

Feeling like there bait that’s been tossed around for awhile

Well, it was posted here almost 6 months ago.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...nounced-ota-update-available-in-q3-2021.1869/

To prevent people from claiming they didn't know about it, Ford has been having buyers sign an acknowledgement of this when purchasing the car (and receive $100 for our trouble). Did you not sign that?

 

[mixduptransistor]

This is the first announcement of lane changing I’ve seen. It appears to be semi-automatic — you signal and the Mach E change lanes.

Driver-initiated lane change is fine, I don't need it to automatically decide to change lanes. When I had AP on my Model 3, disabling AP to change lanes and re-enabling was such a chore, it really made me basically never use AP; but it was not such a chore that it was worth spending $10k on FSD

Lane change basically brings BlueCruise up to feature parity with Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot level of autonomy without Summon

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