Ford today presented the European version of its Bluecruise self-driving system for Europe. A Level 2 technology that allows us to leave the work of controlling the car to the system, and even allows us to not have to keep our hands on the wheel.
The first model to incorporate it will be the Mustang Mach-E. Units sold from October 12 onwards will have, upon payment of a subscription, this function, which in practice works on the roads that have been mapped. Certain sections of Spain’s motorway network, in a system that is based on Ford’s existing Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC), Stop-and-Go, Lane Centering, and Speed Sign Recognition technology.
It is the first vehicle approved in Spain for this level of advanced level 2 assisted driving, which allows driving without having your hands on the wheel on certain sections of the highway and highway network, called Blue Zones, and which we can see in the bottom graph, and where we see that neither Portugal nor France, our closest neighbors, is mapped.
Ford is the first manufacturer to introduce in Spain a hands-free driver assistance technology approved by the Ministry of Industry with the support of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).
Ford Bluecruise Europe Map
It is a technology that helps improve safety on the road, has been widely tested in the real world, and is already being used by customers in the United States and Canada, and its operation is conditional on the driver keeping his gaze. on the road. If you remove it, the system will detect it and begin issuing warnings, and will even reduce the speed until the system sees that we are paying attention to the road again.
To use it, customers will have to pay a subscription; The first 90 days of use are free. After that time, the customer who wants to enjoy this function will have to pay 24.99 euros per month, with the possibility of activating it in individual months, for example, when we are going on vacation.
It is a technology that has been developed and tested in North America for a few years, widely tested and contrasted with 225,000 activated vehicles and more than 1,100,000 km of tests.
The Blue Zones in Spain, in which driving with BlueCruise is available, represent more than 28,500 km of the highway and highway network. Likewise, this technology is also available in Germany and the United Kingdom with more than 32,800 km available on the highway network of both countries.
A system that also has its limitations. For example, you are not able to take full control of the vehicle. It is not possible to overtake autonomously by turning on the turn signal, something you can do in the United States, but it can stop and start moving again on its own in a traffic jam.
An interesting alternative for Mustang owners, despite the monthly activation fee, but extremely interesting if extended to professional vehicles, such as delivery vans, which can undoubtedly get the most out of this type of system.
