General Motors’ hands-free driving technology will soon be on many North American roads.
Why is it important? No one can buy a self-driving car yet — not even Tesla, which falsely markets its semi-automated and assisted-driving beta feature as “fully self-driving.”
- But as cars come equipped with more capable assistive driving systems, consumers will have the opportunity to test — and learn to trust — vehicle automation.
Latest: By the end of this year, GM’s hands-free driving system, the Super Cruise, will be used on 400,000 miles of roads in the U.S. and Canada, the company said. That’s more than double the current position, and more than triple the coverage for Ford’s similar Bluecruise feature.
- Currently limited to 200,000 miles of interstate and divided highways, Super Cruise will soon expand to more state and federal undivided roads, including popular routes such as Route 66 and the Pacific Coast Highway.
- The Super Cruiser, which debuted on the 2017 Cadillac CT6, will be available on 22 Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC and Buick models by the end of 2023.
How it works: When engaged, Super Cruise allows riders to keep their hands on their laps and their feet off the pedals.
- The system controls acceleration and braking to maintain the required gap from the vehicle in front, and steers to stay within lane markings.
- In the new version, the Super Cruise can change lanes to pass slower traffic.
- An infrared camera on the steering column monitors the driver’s attention.
The big picture: The expansion of SuperCruise’s capabilities comes as U.S. regulators are closely scrutinizing driver-assistance features.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla after a series of fatal crashes.
- And safety advocates like Consumer Reports are calling for more transparency, saying driver-assist technology can lead to negligence behind the wheel.
What they say: In a blog post shared with Axios, GM president Mark Reuss highlighted the company’s safety culture with an emphasis on greater autonomy.
- “You may have read some recent headlines that have some people questioning whether these technologies are ready for prime time,” he said, referring to a Pew Research Center survey that found people lack confidence in autonomous vehicles.
- “Security is our focus, so we’re investing significant time and resources to help our features work safely before we go to market with these technologies.”
What to see: GM says it is on track to deliver its first autonomous vehicle for personal use “by the middle of the decade.”
