Ford Blue Cruise allows hands-free lane changes

Ford's Bluecruise driver assistance system gets some upgrades, including the ability to perform hands-free lane changes.

The new version of the system, dubbed Bluecruise 1.2, will appear this fall on the 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford said in a press release Thursday. An Active Glide 1.2 version for Lincoln will follow suit.

According to Ford, the upgraded system will allow drivers to make lane changes by simply tapping the turn signal stalk. Bluecruise will also suggest lane changes when following slow-moving traffic. This feature is comparable to rival General Motors' Super Cruise system.

Bluecruise 1.2 and Activeglide 1.2 also add predictive speed assist, which automatically adjusts speed when approaching a sharp curve. The system signals the driver ahead of time so he or she knows why the vehicle is slowing down, Ford noted.

The third new feature is in-lane repositioning, which moves vehicles away from adjacent lanes. This is helpful when driving next to wider vehicles, such as semi-trucks, Ford noted.

In addition to new features, engineers are continually improving the maps that Bluecruise relies on with over-the-air (OTA) updates. According to Ford, Bluecruise only works on pre-mapped stretches of highway over 130,000 miles currently available.

As before, even on eligible highways, Bluecruise must be able to identify lane markings and ensure that drivers keep their eyes on the road in order to work.

According to Ford, 75,000 Ford and Lincoln owners have enabled Bluecruise or Activeglide so far, with over 16 million miles of hands-free driving recorded through the end of August.