Ford is taking on Tesla, an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, with its first all-electric vehicle complete with Ford’s own advanced driving system.
Co-Pilot360
This system includes a hands-free driving experience called Active Drive Assist for more than 100,000 miles of highway throughout the U.S. and Canada. Announced as the Autopilot equivalent for Ford’s upcoming Tesla Model Y competitor, the all-electric Mustang Mach-E is slated to arrive in 2021. Other new Ford vehicles will also offer the updated Co-Pilot360 driving system.
The new driving feature is similar to General Motors’ Super Cruise already in new Cadillacs in that:
- It tracks the driver’s eye and head position.
- You have to pay attention, even when the car is driving itself.
- An infrared driver-facing camera tracks your eye gaze and head position and alerts you if you need to pay attention or take over driving. (camera still works with sunglasses)
Ford also made sure to point out the hands-free driving for is not available through Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistant. You have to keep your hands on the wheel at all times in any Tesla.
Other features as part of the updated Co-Pilot system:
- Lane Centering Mode, to keep you in the middle of the road. There’s also
- Parking assistance as well as help with pulling out of a tight spot
Worry not because the new system has been tested on more than 650,000 miles in every U.S. state and in all driving conditions from rainstorms to cloudy nights and sunny days.
Note: Pricing for the new driving assistance program wasn’t released yet, but it will also be available as an over-the-air update for eligible vehicles.
