GM is expanding access to Super Cruise with plans to allow drivers to use the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) hands-free on about 750,000 miles of roads in the United States and Canada. The expansion, which will almost double the automaker’s Super Cruise network by 2025, will include rural and secondary highways that often connect smaller cities and towns.
The upgrade comes as automakers increasingly push the limits of advanced driver assistance systems in an effort to attract customers and generate revenue beyond vehicle sales.
Super Cruise uses a combination of lidar map data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors, as well as a driver attention system, which monitors the person behind the wheel to ensure they are watching the road. When the system is activated, it will accelerate or brake to maintain a selected distance from a vehicle in front, steer to maintain its lane position and automatically change lanes to pass slower traffic. Drivers will also be able to deploy the system while towing a trailer. Automatic lane change is not available while trailering, the company said.
The expanded Super Cruise network will not be available to owners of the Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Cadillac XT6, according to the company.
Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system, Super Cruise users do not need to have their hands on the wheel. However, their eyes should be looking straight ahead. Ford offers a competing hands-free system called Blue Cruise launched in 2021.
Super Cruise was launched in 2017 as the industry’s first true hands-free ADAS on the market. However, GM was not seen as a dominant player – despite the system’s potential – because it severely limited access to Super Cruise. For three years, the system was only available on one model, the Cadillac CT6, and was limited to certain divided highways.
The automaker has been slowly expanding its Super Cruise highway network as well, first starting at 200,000 miles and then doubling it to 400,000 in 2022. GM has also added the system to more makes and models. Today, 15 vehicles worldwide have Super Cruise, including the Chevy Bolt EUV, Chevy Suburban, Chevy Tahoe and Chevy Silverado, the GM Hummer EV SUV and all Cadillac models. Super Cruise with a trailer will be offered on new models like the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse or 2024 GMC Acadia
As GM moved forward, Tesla gained a following largely because of affordability. Tesla made its Autopilot system standard on all its vehicles, and drivers could access it on all highways. The automaker’s upgraded systems, namely the $12,000 Full Self-Driving software, have added capabilities and can even be used on city streets.
