The Mustang Mach-E and new F-150 can optionally be equipped with Active Drive Assist, Ford announced. This allows the car to drive completely on its own without the driver having to keep his hands on the steering wheel. There is one thing, however: Ford will supply the hardware for the system, but the actual activation will only follow in the third quarter of next year.
Active Drive Assist is part of the existing Ford Co-Pilot360, the denominator under which the brand has placed all its driver assistance systems. When this option is checked, the hardware for Active Drive Assist is immediately included. In America, the system will be available on the F-150 and Mustang Mach-E. Since the pick-up is not available in our country, the Mach-E is currently the only car on which Active Drive Assist can be ordered here. The system is part of the ‘Technology Pack’, which costs € 1,500. The configurator reports that ‘hands-free mode’ will become available if European legislation allows it.
In America, Ford is aiming to activate Active Drive Assist in the third quarter of 2021 via an ‘over-the-air’ update. In that case you can drive with your hands free within specially designated ‘Hands-Free Zones’ on the motorways. The car uses a camera aimed at the driver to monitor whether the person is paying attention to the road and intervenes with warning signals on the dashboard when this is not the case. Currently, this already applies to Lane Centering Assist, but the driver still has to keep his hands on the wheel.
It is not yet known when activation of the system for Europe is planned. Techzle has asked Ford Netherlands what the rollout of Active Drive Assist will look like for the Dutch market.