Ford has been granted approval to roll out its Level 2+ semi-autonomous driving features in Germany, shortly after it was also permitted to launch them in the UK.
Consumers who purchase a Ford with the company’s BlueCruise system will be permitted to take their hands off the steering wheel on certain sections of German highways designated as ‘Blue Zones.’ Importantly, this remains a Level 2 system which means drivers must be prepared to take over control at any time. An infrared camera is used to monitor drivers and will warn them if they are not looking at the road.
The first Ford model equipped with BlueCruise in Germany will be the all-electric Mustang Mach-E.
Read: Ford Brings BlueCruise Tech To UK, Now Wants Cars To Drive Themselves Off Production Line
“We are very pleased that we can now offer our customers this innovative technology in Germany, after we were the first manufacturer in Europe in April with a system of this type,” Ford Model e Europe managing director Martin Sander said. “Ford BlueCruise reaches a completely new dimension in terms of comfort for the driver: It can greatly simplify strenuous travel on motorways, because it supports the driver in intelligent, tried and tested and above all, safe ways – for a significantly more relaxed reaching of the destination.”
More than 174,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles are equipped with BlueCruise and have traveled over 175 million km with the system activated. Ford has also tested the system on 160,000 km of roads across Europe while gearing up for the local launch of the system.
The first European market to permit the rollout of BlueCruise was the UK back in April. The system can be activated on 3,700 km (2,300 miles) of pre-mapped motorways and works at speeds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph).
