The fight for hands-free driving supremacy went another round with General Motors announcing plans to expand its Super Cruise network to 750,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada. The process is underway and expected to be complete next year.
GM’s expanding the Super Cruise coverage area to encompass 750,000 miles in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2025.
The company, which first introduced the technology in 2017, has been slowly expanding it over the years. It began with 200,000 miles, then jumped to 400,000 miles in 2022. GM notes after the completion of the current phase, it will be six times larger than any other hands-free network in North America. Ford’s BlueCruise covers about 150,000 miles at last count.
“GM is all-in on safely deploying Super Cruise as we make the technology available on more vehicles, more roads and for more people to enjoy,” said Anantha Kancherla, GM vice president of ADAS, in a statement.
“A key part of that is expanding the road network — in this case nearly doubling it again — with lidar mapped highways. High precision lidar mapping gives us an operating domain where we are confident in Super Cruise’s abilities.”
What and where
The hands-free system, which is considered Level 2 autonomous technology, allows the driver to take their hands off the wheel, but they must continue to keep their eyes on the road. Super Cruise only operates in certain areas, mainly interstates, other minor highways and divided highways. It doesn’t yet operate on city streets.
Initially offered on selected Cadillacs, the system has slowly rolled out across the company entire lineup of vehicles. The new version will be pushed out to users with over-the-air updates, the company noted. Some have already been sent while the remainder will be sent through the end of next year.
Most Super Cruise-equipped vehicles will receive this expansion except for the Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Cadillac XT6 because they use an older technology. The average eligible vehicle will update its map within about one month of the GM brand site maps showing updated roads.
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What it can do
While many Level 2 self-driving systems are capable of allowing you to drive hands-free for periods of time, GM’s expanded the capabilities of Super Cruise since its introduction seven years ago. For example, it will allow you to use the system while towing, which others currently do not do.
Additionally, it offers lane change on demand, automatic lane changes, enhanced navigation, collaborative steering, enhanced driver requested offset, and improved curve handling. In short, the system tackles many of the same tasks drivers do.
There are primarily two versions of hands-free Level 2 driving currently on the market. One works only in a geofenced area that’s been mapped, which is Super Cruise, BlueCruise and a few others. Conversely, there are others like Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving which can be used anywhere, but require the driver to put their hands on the wheel regularly.
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