GM released a “Hands-Free, Eyes On” ad late last week. This advertising promotes the Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick Super Cruise driver-assistance technology. GM wants to emphasise that drivers must still watch the road even when the technology enables them to drive without grasping the steering wheel. New efforts will teach automobile buyers about General Motors’ latest driver-assistance technology. The slogan is “Hands-Free, Eyes On.” Super Cruise is available in new Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick cars. GM worries that consumers don’t understand ADAS. The campaign aims to “avoid concern and confusion” and “encourage consumer confidence” in ADAS systems’ benefits. “Content” like “free educational resources and best practices” will construct the campaign on “GM social channels” and its website. GM also wants to train independent vehicle dealers. Tesla Issues Tesla has been lauded for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technologies. It’s excellent when it helps consumers remember a brand, but when either strategy is blamed for a significant crash, it’s horrible. The Washington Post reported 736 Autopilot crashes to the NHTSA. Seventeen perished, and five were critically injured. GM executives didn’t identify other automakers, but it’s apparent what they meant. Tesla provided its Full Self-Driving test software to tens of thousands of drivers. The corporation used data transmitted to its computers to determine how beta testers drove before letting them download the program. Tesla drivers’ Full Self-Driving beta experiences on YouTube are mixed. The finished movie costs $15,000 and has yet to be released. With adaptive cruise control and active lane control, Teslas drove the most kilometres during Autopilot. This is mainly because the corporation accepted the first feature prototype eight years ago, in October 2015. By June, GM automobiles had driven 77 million Super Cruise miles. Tesla reported that its Full Self-Driving cars had gone over 150 million miles in its first-quarter 2023 shareholder letter. Tesla’s technologies require drivers to retain their hands on the wheel. Tesla said the systems’ new features “do not make the vehicle self-driving” but “are meant to make the vehicle more capable over time.” Lawyers presumably grimace when they watch movies about risk-taking drivers who put “defeat devices” on Tesla steering wheels to mislead the car into thinking they have their hands on the wheel. On one notorious occasion, the Driver sat in the trunk. At the same time, the vehicle “drove itself” (The car and Driver couldn’t get a Tesla statement because Tesla doesn’t disclose media contact information). Autonomous? Automated? Autopilot? Super Cruise and its successor, Ultra Cruise, are hands-free, unlike Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Drivers may relax because the automobile stays in the middle of its lane and even changes lanes to pass slower traffic. Even with GM’s innovations, drivers must remain alert. Eye-tracking cameras let them see the device’s front while it’s running. Some Tesla electric cars include interior cameras for other purposes. Most new cars include adaptive Cruise and active lane control, but the Driver must still retain both hands on the wheel. The majority monitors tiny handling adjustments to ensure this. Most people believe eye tracking cameras are the only safe and effective technique to ensure a motorist pays attention when their hands are off the wheel. They cost more to install and require more advanced software. Super Cruise was more challenging to fool than most systems in our tests. GM believes most people confuse “Autopilot” with “automated” or “autonomous” driving. “Hands-Free, Eyes On” is correct: automobiles can now drive themselves on more highways, but you should be ready to take control in seconds. We’ll maintain that. GM’s Cruise Automation subsidiary develops driverless cars, making the problem worse. Cruise offers trips in San Francisco in autonomous Chevrolet Bolt AVs with lidar, cameras, and radar. These monitors feed data to a powerful computer system, which makes real-time decisions about the automobile and its surroundings. These vehicles’ potential danger creates issues. If purchasers understand the distinctions between Super Cruise, which only works on pre-mapped limited-access routes, and the soon-to-be-released Ultra Cruise, which does virtually the same on a wider variety of roads, both should sell better. GM’s general director of software-defined automobiles and ADAS, Andrew Farah, describes Ultra Cruise as “end-to-end” hands-free driving. Ultra Cruise needs better sensors and faster processors to make real-time data-driven decisions. However, SAE International’s hierarchy classifies both systems as Level 2 autonomous. Sometimes, the car can drive itself, but the Driver must be ready to take over. Tesla errors GM and its massive law team may be concerned about drivers who misuse Super Cruise. They will have heard about the several NHTSA probes into Tesla cars that collided with fire trucks, trailers, or other objects while on Autopilot. Tesla’s sensors and algorithms have problems distinguishing weird things like a person flailing their arms or a car flashing its lights in the middle of the road, even though each case is distinct. ADAS or self-driving car crash records must be transmitted to the NHTSA within one day under specified situations. Record other self-driving car crashes that meet selected criteria by month’s end. In an interview with Car and Driver, GM noted that “a handful of crashes involving Super Cruise-equipped vehicles” had been reported to NHTSA, but none involved a car with the technology turned on.
