General Motors is already doing well in the field of driver assistance with Super Cruise. Now, however, GM presents Ultra Cruise, which you could see as a rival to Tesla’s FSD.
Ultra Cruise is an extended version of the Super Cruise presented in 2017. The main difference is that Ultra Cruise is not limited to highways, but should “eventually” be available on 95 percent of paved roads in the US and Canada. Ultra Cruise is therefore even more than Super Cruise an attack on what Tesla (for the time being incorrectly) calls Full Self-Driving Capability. Just like that FSD system and Super Cruise, Ultra Cruise will always be evolving and thus improving itself almost continuously.
GM wants to map out the ways in which its systems work first. At the launch of Ultra Cruise, this should be the case for 2 million miles (more than 3.2 million km) of American roads, to be expanded to 3.4 million miles later. GM promises that customers will be able to move completely ‘hands-free’ through traffic, including on secondary roads and in the city.
Truly hands-free
Among other things, Ultra Cruise must be able to follow navigation instructions, deal with traffic lights, change lanes fully automatically and park independently in a driveway. Like Super Cruise, the system works with a combination of LiDar, radar and cameras and closely monitors the driver. As a result, it is not necessary with either GM system to make your presence known by touching the steering wheel, as it must with any comparable system.
Another important difference with Tesla’s FSD is that Ultra Cruise will initially only be available on more expensive models, especially from Cadillac. Less high-ranking cars will have access to the less extensive Super Cruise, which means that only the hands can be on the steering wheel on the highway. Ultra Cruise is not immediately available, but will be rolled out from 2023. The fully electric Cadillac Lyriq (photo) will undoubtedly be one of the candidates.
Since 2017
Super Cruise is a system provided by General Motors on Cadillac models since 2017. Super Cruise has now also been used for a number of other models and more functionalities have been added, such as automatic lane changes. Super Cruise only works on well mapped highways and has the unique feature that the hands can actually come off the wheel.
Instead of that requirement, the system monitors the driver himself. If not paid attention, a warning will follow. The desired hands on the steering wheel are then registered by sensors in the wheel itself, so that it is not necessary to move the steering wheel. Judging by various US reviews, Super Cruise works better and safer than Tesla’s Autopilot in many ways. In the US, GM is therefore seen as the largest player in this field next to Tesla.
Due to the chip shortage, GM was recently forced to take a step back on Super Cruise. For example, the system was temporarily removed from the option list of the new Cadillac Escalade.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl