DETROIT: Ford's latest version of BlueCruise hands-free highway driving software can smoothly and seamlessly initiate a hands-free lane change to pass slower moving traffic and keep drivers driving hands-free at their preferred speed.
This is possible because of an all-new BlueCruise 1.5 feature, Automatic Lane Change, developed by the Ford Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS) team to help make hands-free highway driving even better.
It will help drivers stay engaged longer in hands-free mode than prior versions and keep cars moving through traffic.
For example, BlueCruise 1.5 is designed to facilitate a smooth and natural drive experience, meaning it will try to avoid merging with traffic moving much faster than your vehicle.
It can also avoid moving the vehicle into the right-hand lane where off-ramps and inconsistent lane markings are present or merging with traffic that requires drivers to put hands back on the wheel.
This increases the amount of time drivers can spend driving hands-free without interruption.
Ford found in internal testing, on an average drive, BlueCruise 1.5 will automate up to 45% of lane changes.
Here is how it works:
BlueCruise can perform a single lane change when it detects a clear adjacent lane and there is enough time to perform the maneuver smoothly.
Before BlueCruise makes an automatic lane change, a visual and audio prompt will alert the driver that a lane change is about to occur.
A reason for making the maneuver will also be displayed in the driver’s information display screen in front of the steering wheel, like if the vehicle is changing lanes for slower moving traffic or to move out of a passing lane.
A hands-free lane change will automatically occur unless the driver tap the turn signal in the opposite direction of the planned lane change or hold the steering wheel in place.
If drivers are not comfortable with Automatic Lane Change, they can disable it in the Driver Assistance settings.
