Ford is about to launch a new version of BlueCruise active driving assistance system

DEARBORN, USA, October 21, 2024 - Ford recently announced that the latest version of its BlueCruise active driving assistance system (BlueCruise 1.4) will be launched soon. The new version of BlueCruise active driving assistance system will bring an unprecedented highway active driving assistance experience, which will feel more natural and smooth in assisted driving mode and can be used for a longer time.

Ford has been continuously improving the highway active driving assistance experience of BlueCruise, and is committed to making BlueCruise's active driving assistance mode more coherent and free, without the need to hold the steering wheel [1] and without any interference. The new version of BlueCruise takes into account various possible situations in highway assisted driving scenarios, such as sharp turns, narrow lanes, bad weather, reflections on sensors, etc., which effectively increases the assisted driving time.

Currently, the upgraded functions of the new version of BlueCruise active driving assistance system include:

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• Enhanced cornering assist function: By monitoring the lateral stability of the vehicle when it is cornering, the vehicle can be driven more smoothly and continuous assisted driving can be achieved for a longer period of time.

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• New displacement control: It can limit vehicle steering. When driving in a narrow lane, it can effectively prevent the vehicle from shifting "sideways", allowing the vehicle to drive more stably in the same lane.

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• Enhanced adverse weather assistance: Compared with previous versions, the new version provides longer and more stable assisted driving in adverse driving conditions such as rain or direct sunlight.

In previous versions, the BlueCruise active driving assistance system may exit the assisted driving state in the event of a sudden sharp turn, reminding the driver to take over. The new version of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system can actively help the vehicle adjust the speed, slow down when turning, and maintain the assisted driving state without the driver taking over. The results of Ford's internal tests show that the average assisted driving time of the new version of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system is more than eight times that of the 1.0 version.

The new version of BlueCruise is an improvement on the current version, which means that the new version of BlueCruise retains the essence of the current version while improving performance. For example, the Lane Change Assist function allows the driver to change lanes safely and actively according to road conditions by simply turning the steering lever, without the driver having to manually control the steering wheel. At the same time, the intelligent lane avoidance function (In-Lane Repositioning) of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system can keep the vehicle driving safely in the selected lane at all times, and can automatically help the vehicle avoid vehicles in the adjacent lanes, especially large trailer trucks, to maintain a safe distance and improve driving safety.

Currently, more than 490,000 vehicles on the road around the world are equipped with BlueCruise's active driving assistance system. In 17 countries around the world, including North America and Europe, drivers of vehicles equipped with BlueCruise can experience active highway driving assistance within the system's coverage area. In North America alone, Ford and Lincoln users have accumulated more than 244 million miles (about 390 million kilometers) of highway active driving assistance mileage.

In the Chinese market, BlueCruise's active driving assistance system is currently installed on a number of domestically produced models, including Ford Mondeo , Ford Edge L, Ford Electric, and the new Ford Explorer , as well as Lincoln models including Lincoln Z, Lincoln Aviator, Lincoln Navigator, the new Lincoln Aviator, and Lincoln Navigator[2]. The applicable road sections cover more than 400,000 kilometers of highways and expressways across the country. On specific sections of the road covered by the BlueCruise map, vehicles equipped with BlueCruise can autonomously control acceleration and deceleration within the speed range of 0-130 kilometers per hour, and keep the vehicle in the center of the current lane without the driver having to control the accelerator and steering wheel, which greatly reduces the fatigue caused by long-distance high-speed driving and makes travel safer and easier.

In every version update of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system, Ford's internal advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) team focuses on how to improve the highway driving assistance experience, collects customer feedback, and collects and uses the large-scale data of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system that customers agree to share on the basis of ensuring data security and personal information protection compliance and process transparency. As more and more vehicles use the BlueCruise active driving assistance system, Ford is also promoting the continuous learning, optimization and upgrading of the BlueCruise active driving assistance system by applying the Continuous Learning Loop process with the advantage of large-scale data.

Now, the new version of BlueCruise active driving assistance system can not only be loaded through software updates, but Ford will also pre-install the new version of BlueCruise on new vehicles, covering different car series and different engine types, such as gasoline-powered, hybrid, and pure electric models, etc. [3].

Due to the different versions of BlueCruise active driving assistance systems installed in different car series, their updates and upgrades are not as simple as updating the system of a smartphone. The process and links are relatively complicated, involving multiple system modules and different types of car screens. Ford will adjust the software applicable to each car series and model to the best version, and then configure it to the vehicle through factory settings or software updates. At the same time, the learning, development and iteration process of BlueCruise's active driving assistance system is also advancing rapidly, so that more customers can enjoy a more advanced highway assisted driving experience faster.