EVs are the hot buzz these days, with AI being the only other thing that seems to be more on people’s lips. And Tesla is the next big thing that is synonymous with EVs. So, when Ford, the big old American ICE car and truck maker is claimed to beat Tesla at anything, it comes as a big shocker.
Ford Has the Best Autopilot Program
In a recent report, Ford drove past Tesla in active driving assist (ADA) technology. But how did Ford beat Tesla at its own game?
Tesla began its self-driving tech years ago and named it Autopilot initially. It was a driver-assist program. It evolved over the years and paved the path for Full-Self Driving (FSD).
Elon Musk, Tesla’s celebrity CEO, has so much confidence in FSD that he has offered to license the system to other manufacturers. Despite this, recent Consumer Reports claim Ford’s ADA tops the overall list.
It is worth mentioning whatever Tesla claims about its Autopilot tech so far, it requires more development in the areas of monitoring and processing driver attention to operate effectively and safely. Almost 50% of all cars released in 2023 come equipped with ADA system.
Consumer Reports tested 17 systems and guess where our dear Tesla ranked? The EV maker was somewhere in the middle of the list. According to CR’s executive, the relatively dismal performance of the market leader was due to its decision to leave its Autopilot’s functionality to its original form.
It may be a little difficult to ‘digest’ but Tesla’s Autopilot doesn’t feature a driver monitoring system or collaborative steering.
Ford & Its BlueCruise System
Ford calls its ADA system, BlueCruise and it is not yet capable of self-driving. Still, it offers a collaborative experience that can make your driving experience more relaxing.
BlueCruise is ahead of Tesla’s Autopilot in both driver monitoring and safety. When you have these systems on your car and they create an absolute sense of security, there is no room for these systems to falter in any way. This is where Ford’s system makes a difference by laying serious emphasis on driver attention.
BlueCruise relies on infrared camera-based direct driver monitoring systems. These systems keep track of driver’s eyes, ensuring they stay on the road at all times. The moment the driver’s eyes are taken off the road, the system produces a sound alert. The car will slow down if the eyes don't return to the road.
Consumer Reports’ Input
According to Consumer Reports, any car maker that offers ADA system on a vehicle should back it up with proper safeguards. Otherwise, they should simply get rid of adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance from their systems.
BlueCruise received a score of 84 while GM’s Super Cruise was second in the list with 75 points. Tesla’s Autopilot ranked 8th overall and received great scores for performance but poor scores in the areas of driver engagement and safety.
The recommendation for Tesla is to install proper driver monitoring cameras.
