When Hands-Free Ain’t Free: What’s the Cost of Self-Driving Tech?
From entertainment apps like Spotify and Netflix to delivery services like Amazon Prime, subscriptions have nestled their way into our daily lives. But will a subscription soon be required to unlock a vehicle’s advanced driver-assist features? As General Motors and Ford expand their hands-free steering systems, the subscription model emerges as the preferred way to offer such technology. Tesla, which has garnered both positive and negative attention with its Autopilot driver-assist system, has also rolled out a subscription service for its Full Self-Driving system. (Tesla doesn’t currently offer hands-free driving for the masses, though reports of beta programs available to select testers depict extended hands-free capability.)
Related: Which Cars Have Self-Driving Features for 2021?
Despite the self-driving or hands-free monikers, and the option to release the wheel in some vehicles, it’s important to note that no true self-driving vehicles currently exist for sale in the U.S.; every vehicle requires drivers to pay attention at all times. Still, driver-assistance systems are quickly evolving to take over more driving duties with the goal of improving safety and reducing fatigue. See how Tesla, Ford and GM’s semi-autonomous features and pricing compare below.
Tesla: Full Self-Driving
Earlier this year, Tesla launched its Full Self-Driving subscription, allowing drivers to pay for enhanced driver-assistance features on a monthly basis. FSD adds Navigate on Autopilot and Auto Lane Change, which assist with lane changes, and merging on and off highways. Its Autopark and Summon features help park and maneuver a vehicle in tight spots, while Traffic and Stop Sign Control identifies road signs and lights to automatically slow the vehicle down. Autosteer on city streets is an additional, forthcoming feature that will arrive later in 2021, according to the automaker.
Understandably, you might misconstrue the name “Full Self-Driving,” which continues to be a forward-looking name at this point. It still requires drivers to pay full attention to the road and keep their hands on the wheel at all times.
“While these features are designed to become more capable over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous,” Tesla’s website reads. “Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment.”
Vehicles With Full Self-Driving
All new Teslas — the Model S hatchback, Model 3 sedan, and Model Y and Model X SUVs — can be equipped with FSD, either as a flat upfront cost or through a new subscription option. Some older Teslas are not eligible, however, and vehicles made before 2014 may require a hardware upgrade at additional cost. Tesla owners with FSD software version 3.0 or newer and either Basic Autopilot or Enhanced Autopilot can get access to FSD at no additional cost for the hardware.
How Much Does It Cost?
The FSD suite can be added to any new model for a flat fee of $10,000, or owners can test out the technology through a monthly subscription. Those with Basic Autopilot can subscribe to Full Self-Driving for $199 per month, while owners of Enhanced Autopilot-equipped Tesla models can subscribe for $99 per month.
Ford and Lincoln: BlueCruise and ActiveGlide
Ford’s BlueCruise, rebadged as ActiveGlide for Ford’s premium Lincoln division, enhances the vehicle’s existing driver-assist technologies to provide hands-free driving on select roads called Blue Zones. BlueCruise couples Ford’s adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering, both of which work from a stop up to highway speeds, with a speed-sign recognition system to allow drivers to release the steering wheel while traveling on more than 100,000 miles of dedicated highways. To ensure the driver remains focused on the road, the system uses a driver-facing camera in the instrument cluster to monitor eye gaze and head position.
Ford claims future features will include Lane Change Assist, which allows the car to change lanes upon activating the turn signal, and Predictive Speed Assist, which adjusts speed automatically based on road curves.
Vehicles With BlueCruise or ActiveGlide
The 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E with the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package become the inaugural vehicles eligible to receive BlueCruise capability through a software update later this year, though exact timing for the availability has not been announced. Dawn McKenzie, Ford’s truck communications manager, told Cars.com in December 2020 that the software update would come to the F-150 “in the third quarter of next year.” More recently, McKenzie said the update “should happen this fall” and that “trucks are shipping now with BlueCruise.”
The 2022 Lincoln Navigator, meanwhile, will be the first vehicle for Ford’s luxury brand to feature the ActiveGlide technology.
How Much Does It Cost?
The BlueCruise software will cost $600 for the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150, which covers a three-year service period. The cost of the hardware varies by vehicle. For the Mach-E, BlueCruise comes standard on all but the base trim level, which offers the technology as part of its Comfort and Technology Package. The total comes to $3,200, including $600 for the software and $2,600 for the rest of the package.
The F-150 will offer BlueCruise as part of the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Package, which is standard on the F-150 Limited and optional on the Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trims. The cost to add the software and hardware totals $1,595.
For the Navigator, ActiveGlide will come standard on the Reserve and Black Label models, also as a three-year subscription, but it won’t be available on the base trim. Lincoln says it will reveal ActiveGlide pricing closer to the Navigator’s launch date.
Subscription costs after the three-year introductory period, meanwhile, remain to be seen. Asked to clarify, Ford did not immediately respond.
General Motors: Super Cruise
GM, the parent company of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, was the first automaker out of the gate to offer hands-free driving with the launch of its Super Cruise system for the Cadillac CT6 sedan in 2017. Super Cruise uses a vehicle’s adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering to offer hands-free steering, accelerating and braking on 200,000 miles of designated highways. Similar to Ford’s BlueCruise, Super Cruise uses an interior camera to ensure the driver pays attention.
GM will offer Super Cruise on several upcoming 2022 models with enhanced features designed for highway driving and towing. Additional Super Cruise capabilities include hands-free trailering and automatic lane changes. Hands-free lane changing steers the vehicle into a different lane when the turn signal is activated, recenters the vehicle in the new lane and adjusts speed automatically.
Vehicles With Super Cruise
Cadillac initially offered Super Cruise on 2018-20 models of the CT6, a car since discontinued. New vehicles that feature the technology include the 2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans, and the Escalade SUV; the upcoming 2023 Cadillac Lyriq all-electric SUV will also offer Super Cruise. As for GM’s other brands, the 2022 Bolt EUV becomes the first Chevy to get Super Cruise. Pickup trucks including the 2022 Silverado, 2022 GMC Sierra and the new GMC Hummer EV will also get the system with additional trailering features.
How Much Does It Cost?
Super Cruise varies by brand, model and trim. For example, the Super Cruise package for the Cadillac Escalade adds a minimum of $2,500 to the vehicle’s price. Higher trims don’t require any other add-ons, while lower trims require a performance package or driver-assist package atop Super Cruise to enable its features.
The 2022 Bolt EUV’s Premium trim offers a $2,200 Super Cruise package, which adds hands-free driving to Chevy’s new electric SUV. All GM vehicles equipped with Super Cruise include three years of connectivity to enable the semi-autonomous driver-assist technology. After the initial three years, owners must subscribe to a monthly connected services plan through GM’s OnStar telematics system to keep the features activated. According to a GM spokesperson, the standalone plan costs $25 per month, or owners can purchase an eligible connected services plan that wraps in Super Cruise.
Is a Semi-Autonomous Subscription Worth It?
The prospect of semi-autonomous driving — even if it still falls within the realm of driver assistance, given you have to remain ready to take over — is certainly exciting, and systems like Tesla’s FSD suite, Ford’s BlueCruise and GM’s Super Cruise allow owners to experience this innovative technology now. As convenient (or just plain cool) as these systems can appear, the technology comes with many limitations and adds thousands of dollars to the cost of a vehicle.
Both BlueCruise and Super Cruise allow hands-free driving only on specifically designated, if widespread, limited-access highways. The systems may prove valuable for long-distance road trips, but those who mainly drive on local roads won’t reap the benefits in the short term. Tesla’s system has more city credibility with its parking assist features and the upcoming Autosteer, but the automaker has yet to make the system hands-free for the masses.
Some studies show that for many drivers, advanced driver-assist systems often go unused. A report by automotive software firm CCC Intelligent Solutions found that 70% of drivers disable advanced driver-assist systems because they believe the features aren’t working correctly or find the technology distracting.
According to Automotive News, a third of all Cadillac CT6 vehicles sold were equipped with Super Cruise. Among those owners, Super Cruise was only used half the time it was available, the newspaper said. Interestingly, even though Super Cruise was only used half the time in the CT6, 85% of owners reportedly said they would prefer or only consider buying a future vehicle with the feature.
Shoppers considering adding a semi-autonomous package to a vehicle should weigh the costs and benefits based on driving habits and location. For some, it might signal an investment for down the road — when more advanced capabilities emerge for more driving scenarios.
More From Cars.com:
- Tested: Cadillac’s Next-Gen Super Cruise on the 2021 Cadillac Escalade
- Cadillac’s Super Cruise Adds Automated Lane Change, New Vehicles for 2021
- Autonomous Driving Levels and What They Mean to You
- Lincoln Announces ActiveGlide Hands-Free Driving System, Electric Vehicle Plans
- How Cadillac’s Super Cruise System Works
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