ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) - A new technology is being hailed as a "game changer" by some experts as it takes aims at those achy, tiresome commutes.
Cadillac's Super Cruise, the only hands-free semi-autonomous driving feature on the highways, is now on roads in Southern California.
Once on the highway, the feature is activated with the push of a button on the steering wheel. The feature allows the driver to go feet- and hands-free as long as you stay in one lane.
"If someone slows down in front of me, it will slow down our speed," said Drew Doran.
While other driver-assistance systems use cameras to center a car, Doran says General Motors has extensive laser mapping of US highways that leads to better accuracy.
"It actually knows what is ahead of the vehicle," said Doran.
On a one-hour-long drive, it tracked every curve and every time, it stayed in the center of the lane. The driver is still expected to be on standby. A camera on the steering wheel watches for distractions. If the driver is doing something like reading and blocking that camera, it will warn the driver.
When we blocked the camera, a green light flashed - the first of several alerts - before Super Cruise disengaged. Doran says he recently went on a trip to Los Angeles with his wife. He says he used Super Cruise for about 80 percent of a drive that left him feeling relaxed.
"Not the usual back pain. I actually felt wonderful," said Doran.
The Cadillac CT6 will cost you about $90,000, but industry experts says GM could deploy the well-received Super Cruise in vehicles priced around $40,000 starting next year.
AUTONOMOUS VS. SEMI-AUTONOMOUS
Popular Science has a breakdown between the different steps a car can make without human interaction.
- Level 0: The driver controls all steps of operating a car.
- Level 1: The driver makes all decisions but gets assistance from features like cruise control.
- Level 2: The car makes some assistive changes, like adaptive cruise control, which adjusts speed based on the road conditions it senses.
- Level 3: This level includes “auto pilot” modes like those in Teslas. The car is capable of making most driving decisions but still needs a human driver to make a decision occasionally.
- Level 4: The car drives itself but needs consistent conditions and familiar territory for its guidance systems.
- Level 5: The car can drive itself and navigate every situation.
While fully autonomous cars are in testing, semi-autonomous competitors to the Super Cruise include the Audi Traffic Jam Pilot, BMW Traffic Jam Assistant, Nissan/Infiniti ProPilot, Mercedes Benz Drive Pilot, Tesla Autopilot, and Volvo Pilot Assist.
