Super Cruise enhancements will be available on six 2022 GM select models. The company’s two hands-free advanced driver-assist systems, Super Cruise and Ultra Cruise, will cohabit in the portfolio, with Super Cruise being accessible on more mainstream cars and Ultra Cruise being designated for luxury vehicles.
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UPDATE:
Super Cruise, will soon be extended to function on even more roadways, offering consumers broader access to hands-free driving, according to a statement from General Motors. Hundreds of thousands of miles of roadways in the US and Canada may be explored hands-free as the Super Cruise network has been doubled.
The expansion will be accessible later this year for new GM portfolio cars based on the VIP electrical architecture and will be provided over-the-air beginning in 2022 on models with Super Cruise at no extra cost.
At the moment, Super Cruise only operates on interstates, which are divided roads with maps. With this extension, Super Cruise will be allowed to operate on a large number of new state and federal routes, which include both divided and undivided highways. With this extension, a few noteworthy routes with sizable portions will be operational:
- The Mother Road – U.S. Route 66
- Pacific Coast Highway – CA Route 1
- Overseas Highway – U.S. Route 1
- Trans-Canada Highway
Super Cruise received an important update
In July of last year, GM revealed that additional Super Cruise features will be available in the first quarter of 2022 on six model year 2022 cars. Super Cruise is the first real hands-free driver-assistance technology in the market, enabling drivers to travel hands-free on over 200,000 miles of suitable highways across the United States and Canada.
New capabilities include trailering, automatic lane change, and enhanced navigation display. These upgrades will be offered on certain GM Super Cruise-enabled Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac CT4, Cadillac CT5, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, and GMC Sierra 2022 models.
“We’re excited to expand Super Cruise to even more new models with additional capabilities to provide our customers with even more opportunities to go hands-free,” said Mario Maiorana, Super Cruise chief engineer.
“The additional Super Cruise-enabled vehicles and new features are an important step toward our goal of enabling hands-free driving 95% of the time and getting people more comfortable with letting go of the wheel.”
These improvements were made possible by GM’s vehicle intelligence platform, which delivers additional bandwidth and data processing capability and demonstrates the company’s software competence. GM may also give over-the-air upgrades to select model year 2021 car owners, letting them take full benefit of the newest Super Cruise advancements.
By 2023, 22 cars will be equipped with Super Cruise, including the Cadillac LYRIQ and GMC HUMMER EV SUV. The 2022 Cadillac XT6 and the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV are two more cars with Super Cruise options.
Since its inception in 2017 with the Cadillac brand, GM has increased features, extended Super Cruise-enabled routes, and made Super Cruise available on additional models. Customers who have used Super Cruise have traveled roughly 10 million miles throughout the United States and Canada so far.
Ultra Cruise is designed to offer self-driving capabilities in 95% of driving scenarios
GM launched Ultra Cruise, an all-new, sophisticated driver-assistance system, in October of last year, marking a critical next step in the company’s path to achieving its objective of zero accidents, zero emissions, and zero congestion. Ultra Cruise was created with the goal of allowing hands-free driving in 95 percent of all driving conditions.
It will eventually be able to be utilized on any paved road in the United States and Canada.
At launch in the United States and Canada, Ultra Cruise will cover more than 2 million miles of roadways, with the ability to expand to more than 3.4 million miles. Customers will be able to drive hands-free on almost any route, including city streets, subdivision streets, and paved country roads, in addition to highways, using Ultra Cruise.
“Ultra Cruise is not just a game changer in terms of what it enables − a door-to-door hands-free driving experience − but a technological one as well,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “It’s been developed completely in-house.”
“The combination of Ultra Cruise for premium offerings and Super Cruise for lower-cost products will enable us to offer driver-assist technology across price points and segments,” added Parks.
Ultra Cruise technology functionalities
Ultra Cruise is driven by a scalable 5-nanometer computational architecture that is future-proofed by the Ultifi software platform and the Vehicle Intelligence Platform. Through regular over-the-air upgrades, Ultra Cruise may introduce new features, capabilities, and services over time.
Ultra Cruise expands on Super Cruise’s capabilities by adding additional autonomous driving technologies that are designed to:
- Provide users with information based on their experience with the system through an all-new dynamic display
- React to permanent traffic control devices
- Follow internal navigation routes
- Maintain headway; follow speed limits
- Support automatic and on-demand lane change
- Support left and right-hand turns
- Support close object avoidance
- Support parking in residential driveways
In addition, the technology provides complete 360-degree vision surrounding the car.
Smart diagnostic and learning algorithms detect circumstances where Ultra Cruise needs to be upgraded automatically, prompting data records in cars that use the service. These recordings will subsequently be analyzed by GM’s data ecosystem in the back office for system enhancement.
LiDAR Map: Cadillac Super Cruise
System components
Ultra Cruise uses a mix of cameras, radars, and LiDAR to create precise, three-dimensional statistical representations of the world around cars, including redundancy in key areas. Ultra Cruise also has a built-in LiDAR system behind the windshield.
“We believe that the combination of different sensors, or sensor fusion, leads to the most robust hands-free driver-assist system for our customers,” said Parks.
Ultra Cruise HMI (Human-Machine Interface)
Ultra Cruise’s Human Machine Interface is a vital feature that allows the system to convey information to the driver and communicate when they need to take control of the vehicle. Ultra Cruise’s HMI, which is based on the Super Cruise HMI, also displays drivers that they and the system are viewing the same thing.
The Ultra Cruise Dynamic Display, which is the main HMI in Ultra Cruise-equipped cars, is a freeform display right in the driver’s line of sight. Its purpose is to keep drivers focused on the road.
Ultra Cruise’s HMI approach also involves assisting the driver in remaining engaged behind the wheel while also being prepared to take over if necessary. The Driver Attention Camera system from Super Cruise will be carried over to Ultra Cruise.
GM is also working on an Ultra Cruise app, which will only be shown in the center display of Ultra Cruise-equipped cars while they are parked. The app will give additional information in one place, such as driver statistics, journeys, and history.
In 2023, Ultra Cruise will join General Motors’ array of hands-free advanced driver-assist technologies on certain vehicles, with Cadillac being the first to do so.
