Super Cruise: What is it?
In recent years, the automotive industry has made significant advancements in autonomous driving technologies. One groundbreaking innovation is Super Cruise, a high-tech system that combines advanced sensors, mapping data, and artificial intelligence to enable semi-autonomous driving. Developed by General Motors, Super Cruise represents a leap forward in automotive safety and convenience by offering drivers a remarkable hands-free experience on certain highways. Let’s learn how this innovative system came to be, how it works, and how it will affect the future of driving.
The History of Super Cruise
GM first announced plans to make an autonomous driving system called Super Cruise back in April 2013. As time progressed, GM’s research lab explained in August 2015 that Super Cruise would be different from other semi-autonomous systems because it would allow a driver to drive hands-free and pedal-free. After much testing and planning, GM announced in September 2017 that the system would be available in the 2018 Cadillac CT6. After a successful use on the market, GM has continued to improve Super Cruise and has offered an enhanced version back in January 2020. Now that you know a little bit of the history, let’s learn how this system works.
How does Super Cruise work?
At its core, Super Cruise is a sophisticated driver-assistance system designed to handle specific driving tasks on over 200,000 miles of well-mapped divided or undivided highways in the US and Canada. Furthermore, GM’s 2023 vehicles have access to over 400,000 miles of well-mapped highways that this system will work on, and GM has plans to allow these same maps for 2022 vehicles with a software update coming soon. The technology relies on a combination of advanced sensors that includes radar, cameras, and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Using these advanced sensors, the system gathers data about the vehicle's surroundings. The data is then integrated into highly detailed maps and GPS that allows Super Cruise to create a comprehensive picture of the road ahead. With this comprehensive picture, the vehicle can then change lanes and control its speed with precision.
Safety First: The Driver Attention System
One key feature that sets the Super Cruise apart is its robust Driver Attention System (DAS). The DAS is a system that tracks the driver's eye movements and head position with a small camera on the steering wheel to ensure that the driver is attentive to the road. If the system detects a lack of attention or the driver becomes unresponsive, DAS prompts them to pay more attention to the road or take control of the vehicle immediately. This built-in safety measure ensures that drivers remain responsible for the vehicle's operation and can intervene if necessary.
Functionality and User Experience
When conditions align and the driver activates Super Cruise, the experience is both intuitive and impressive. Once the system engages, the vehicle takes over control of acceleration, braking, and steering while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles and staying centered within the designated lane. The combination of sensor inputs, mapping data, and the driver attention system ensures a safe and reliable driving experience.
Super Cruise also incorporates a range of advanced features to enhance user experience. An illuminated light bar on the steering wheel indicates when the system is engaged, and it changes color to indicate different states of operation (this feature is part of the DAS). Additionally, the driver can monitor the system's status on the vehicle's instrument cluster that provides real-time feedback and enhances driver awareness.
Future Prospects
GM’s Super Cruise represents a significant milestone in the company’s progress towards fully autonomous vehicles. While the system is currently advancing to cover more highways (both divided and undivided), ongoing advancements in sensor technology, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure will undoubtedly expand its capabilities. GM has the following vehicles equipped with Super Cruise:
- 2018–2020 Cadillac CT6
- 2021–2022 Cadillac CT4
- 2021–2022 Cadillac CT5
- 2021–2022 Cadillac Escalade
- 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV
- 2022 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2022-2023 Hummer EV Pickup
- 2022-2023 Sierra 1500 Denali and Denali Ultimate
- 2023 Yukon Denali and Denali Ultimate.
GM has already announced plans to introduce Super Cruise on additional vehicle models and to extend its coverage to more highways in the future. Super Cruise comes free with these vehicles for the first three years of driving, but a subscription plan is needed afterward if you want to keep the system. As autonomous-driving technology evolves, it has the potential to revolutionize the way you commute and travel.