GM adds automated lane changes to its hands-free Super Cruise driving system
GM has improved its hands-free driving assistance system Super Cruise, adding a feature that will automatically change lanes for drivers of certain Cadillac models, including the upcoming 2021 Escalade.
This enhanced version of Super Cruise, which will include better steering and speed control, puts it back in competition with Tesla's Autopilot driver assistance system (specifically the Navigate on Autopilot feature), which is considered the most capable on the market today.
The improved version will be introduced starting with the 2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans followed by the new 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The vehicles are expected to become available in the second half of 2020.
Super Cruise uses a combination of lidar map data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors, as well as a driver attention system, which monitors the person behind the wheel to ensure they're paying attention. Unlike Tesla's Autopilot driver assistance system, users of Super Cruise do not need to have their hands on the wheel. However, their eyes must remain directed straight ahead.
The automatic lane change feature in Super Cruise will still require the driver to keep their eyes on the road. When the system is engaged, the driver can engage the turn signal to indicate a desire to change lanes. Once the system has determined that the lane is open, the vehicle will merge. Meanwhile, the gauge cluster will display messages to the driver such as "looking for an opening" or "changing lanes."
GM's new digital vehicle platform, which provides more electrical bandwidth and data processing power, enabled engineers to add to Super Cruise's capabilities. The company also improved its rear-facing sensors and software to be able to better track vehicles approaching from the rear, Super Cruise chief engineer Mario Maiorana said.
The new version Super Cruise will change lanes for the driver on highways where the feature is allowed. The user interface and hands-free driving dynamics have also been improved, according to Maiorana.
Super Cruise, which launched in 2017, was limited to just one model - the full-size CT6 sedan - and restricted to divided highways. That began to change last year when GM announced plans to expand where Super Cruise would be available. A software update expanded the thousands of miles of compatible divided highways in the United States and Canada . Super Cruise is now available on more than 200,000 miles of highways.
The automaker has also started to make the system available in more models. GM is expanding Super Cruise as an option on all Cadillac models this year. GM has said the Super Cruise system will start hitting its other brands such as Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick after 2020.