It will roll out this summer for MY2021 – MY2023 Mustang Mach-E models equipped with the technology.
Ford has announced that it will soon roll out a BlueCruise 1.3 software update to MY2021 – MY2023 Mustang Mach-E crossovers equipped with the technology.
CEO Jim Farley announced the update via Twitter, noting that the improved software will reach new and existing BlueCruise-equipped vehicles this summer. Customers still waiting to receive BlueCruise 1.2 will be automatically upgraded to the latest software, providing an enhanced hands-free highway driving system.
Ford's Executive Director for Advanced Driver Assist System Technologies, Sammy Omari, shared additional information about the update via LinkedIn. According to Omari, the system now stays engaged in hands-free mode for “an average of [three times] longer” than the outgoing software.
Compared to BlueCruise 1.0, the improvements are even more remarkable, with hands-free mode engaged for an average of five times longer than the original.
BlueCruise 1.2 launched earlier this year and introduced In-Lane Repositioning, and Lane Change Assist features. The introduction of BlueCruise 1.3 is earlier than expected and shows what is possible in just a matter of months. Could we see yet another improvement before the end of the year?
Omari told TechCrunch that constantly improving Ford services is one way the automaker will slowly transition from a traditional carmaker to a service provider. “It's the same way that Netflix needs to continue providing content […] we think about this the same way. If someone is on BlueCruise, they will continuously get updates the same way.”
“This is about ADAS, but it's also about a lot more than ADAS. It's basically about the ability for Ford to now have an installed base of hardware on a lot of our vehicles,” remarked Omari. “The same way that Apple has iPhones, [regardless] of iPhone 10, 11, all the way up to 14, and they can roll out iOS updates regularly. We think about this the exact same way.”
But what can we expect of BlueCruise in coming updates? While Omari hasn't confirmed this, he did mention that the driver assistance system could, eventually, be developed to work on urban streets and rural roads – not just highways as it currently does.
Don't expect Ford to come out with Level 3 autonomous systems anytime soon. Omari says the hardware found in the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning is incapable of this.
“We do need new hardware, and the reason for that is largely redundancy. This includes both sensing redundancy, so that multiple sensors are covering the vehicle in 360 degrees, and also redundancy when it comes to control features like power steering,” he added.
However, we can expect this to arrive in 2025 with Ford's next generation of electric vehicles. To provide this level of functionality, Ford will introduce new hardware as well as a substantially upgraded software stack.
Many Ford customers were recently disappointed to learn the automaker recently made the BlueCruise subscription more expensive than before. Previously, the service cost $200, but that's since been raised to an eye-widening $800 a year. While that's disappointing for consumers, the tech – exclusive to certain Ford and Lincoln products – continues to be a hit with customers, who have racked up 90 million hands-free miles.
Our ADAS team is making the hands-free highway driving experience even better! BlueCruise 1.3 will start rolling out this summer in Mustang Mach-E's from the factory & then later this summer to existing BlueCruise-equipped Mach-E's via a software update. pic.twitter.com/eyaHdeVwNN
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) July 13, 2023
Keyword: Ford Mustang Mach-E's BlueCruise Update Will Let You Go Hands-Free For Longer