Ford’s Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), BlueCruise has received regulatory approval from Germany’s Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) for use on the nation’s highways.
This follows its clearance to be used on UK motorways earlier this year, making it the first “hands-off, eyes-on” system to be rolled out in Europe.
In addition to its launch in Europe, more than 225,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles are already equipped with BlueCruise in the US and Canada. Here, the system has been used for 1.4 million hours over more than 100 million miles.
Torsten Wey, Head of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems at Ford Europe said:With BlueCruise, Ford is positioning itself as a leading provider of future-proof driver assistance technologies. Data collected from more than one million test kilometres from around the world formed the basis for successful approval in Germany.
BlueCruise uses radars, cameras and a powerful computing system to monitor road markings, speed signs and traffic conditions to safely control steering, acceleration and braking while maintaining a consistent distance from vehicles ahead.
It can be used in designated Blue Zones, spanning a combined 32,794 kilometres of highways in Great Britain and Germany. It works at all speeds, from highway cruising speeds down to standstills in traffic jams.
The system also uses infrared camera technology to continually check the driver’s attentiveness to ensure they are focused on the road ahead.
To allow drivers in Germany to benefit from the BlueCruise technology, it will be made available to order on Mustang Mach-E models over the next few weeks.
Drivers with an active subscription will then be able to take their hands off the wheel while driving on highways in Great Britain and Germany .
