Hands Free Driving

Technology in which a driver moves in a car without having hand on steering, it is referred to as “hands free driving”. In “hands free driving” system, the car makes use of a variety of technologies, including cameras, sensors, radar, GPS, LiDAR map data, and others, to keep an eye on its surroundings and make driving judgements.

Further, “hands free driving” technology will regulate the vehicle’s braking, acceleration, and “steering input” in response to external factors like traffic and weather. Additionally, the technology will ensure that the car stays in its lane and makes a safe and easy transition between “hands on driving” and “hands free driving”. It will only be possible to activate the technology/system when “adaptive cruise control” has been enabled. Only the highway system for which it has “LiDAR maps” will be compatible with this technology.

“””The following describes the every one of supporting system and subsystems that helps “hands free driving” system to work:

Driver Assist system; a system that gathers the data required to calculate the current trajectory, position of the vehicle, and safe circumstances. Makes certain a safe following distance. Gives the “Vehicle Control” system instructions.
Vehicle Control system; a system that uses commands from the “Driver Assist” system to regulate the vehicle’s braking, acceleration, and “steering input”.
Driver Attention System; a system that makes use of cameras to track the head and eye positions of drivers in order to ensure that they are actively interacting with the road. Warnings are sent out by the system to remind drivers to re-engage if it detects a lack of involvement.
Adaptive Cruise Control system; an advanced kind of cruise control that adjusts the car’s speed automatically to stay up with the vehicles in front of and behind you.
Vehicle Position subsystem; a component that confirms the position of the vehicle after processing data from many sensors.
Path Prediction subsystem; a subsystem that uses data from LiDAR mappings and the “Vehicle Position” subsystem to determine the predicted path of the car.
Human Interface subsystem; a subsystem that takes commands from the driver, exchanges messages with the “hands free driving” system, and shows sensor data in the driver’s language.

“”” — is covered in the article “cse.msu.edu/~skidmo25/srs-document-v1.pdf” under the subject “… Hands Free Driving System 3”.

“””According to systems like those established by the “Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)”, “hands free driving” can occur at several “levels of automation” (from Level 0 to Level 5). Higher automation levels allow the car to perform most driving functions autonomously, such as steering, braking, and acceleration, with little or no input from the driver. Drivers are still required to be alert and prepared to take over control, if necessary, even at higher automation levels.


SAE LEVEL 0	SAE LEVEL 1	SAE LEVEL 2	SAE LEVEL 3	SAE LEVEL 4	SAE LEVEL 5
Even when “your feet are off the pedals” and “you are not steering”, you are driving a vehicle whenever these driver assistance features are activated.			Even if you are sitting in "the driver's seat", you are not driving a vehicle while these autonomous driving features are activated.
These assist features require your continuous attention; to ensure safety, you must steer, brake, or accelerate as necessary.			As soon as the feature requests, you have to drive.	Using these automatic driving features won't need you to take over the driving.
These features are for driver support.			These are features of automatic driving.
These features are restricted to generating alerts and “brief support”.	These features give the driver assistance with steering OR braking/ acceleration.	These features give the driver assistance with steering AND braking/ acceleration.	These features are limited in what circumstances they can drive the car under, and they won't work unless all prerequisites are satisfied.		This feature has the ability to drive the car in any situation.
Example Features: “automatic emergency braking”, “blind spot warning”, “lane departure warning”.	Example Features: “lane centering” OR “adaptive cruise control”.	Example Features: “lane centering” AND “adaptive cruise control” simultaneously.	Example Feature: traffic jam chauffeur.	Example Features: “local driverless taxi”, “pedals/ steering wheel may or may not be installed”.	Example Features: similar to “level 4”, but with the ability to drive anywhere and in any condition.

Six levels of driving automation are defined, with Level 0 denoting “no driving automation”, Level 1 being “driver assistance”, Level 2 being “partial driving automation”, Level 3 being “conditional driving automation”, Level 4 being “high driving automation”, and Level 5 being full driving automation“”” — according to the information found at “sae.org/blog/sae-j3016-update” under the subject “SAE Levels of Driving Automation …” of 2021.

“Hands Free Driving” Cars -

Ford “Hands Free Driving” -

Ford offers its “BlueCruise” “hands free driving” feature on select models. Ford BlueCruise is an SAE Level 2 driver-assist technology. Ford BlueCruise is a driver-assist feature available on pre-approved Hands-Free Blue Zones, which are sections of split highways. Safe driving is “not” substituted by it.

There are now a few Ford models (as of March 2024) that provide “Ford Blue Cruise”:

Explorer SUV (2025).
Mustang Mach-E SUV (2022 and later).
F-150 Lightning Truck (2022 and later).
F-150 Truck (2021 and later).
Expedition SUV (2022 and later).

GMC “Hands Free Driving” -

GMC’s “Super Cruise” is a “hands free driving” assistance system. “Super Cruise” is an SAE Level 2 technology. Super Cruise-equipped GMC vehicles may travel on more than 400,000 miles of compatible roads in the United States and Canada. Whenever operating a vehicle or utilizing Super Cruise, pay close attention.

Available on (as of March 2024) following models:

2022-2024 HUMMER EV Pickup.
2024 HUMMER EV SUV.
2022-2024 Sierra 1500 Denali and Denali Ultimate.
2024 Yukon Denali and Denali Ultimate.

Super Cruise is also available on Chevrolet vehicles; “2022 Bolt EUV, 2023 Bolt EUV, 2022 Silverado, 2023 Silverado, 2023 Tahoe and 2023 Suburban“, and will be available on upcoming “2024 Blazer EV, 2024 Equinox EV and 2024 Silverado EV“. General Motors (GM) is the parent company of the Chevrolet brand.

BMW “Hands Free Driving” -

The “Highway Assistant” is a “hands-free driving” feature provided by the BMW Group. On controlled access highways, the Highway Assistant on the “X5 40i, X5 M60i, and X5 xDrive50e” enables “hands free driving” at speeds of up to 85 mph. The driver needs to maintain focus and take over when necessary. When utilizing Highway Assistant, keep a watch on the surrounding traffic, road conditions, and environment at all times. In “Hawaii, New York, Puerto Rico, and Alaska”, the “Highway Assistant” is unavailable. The BMW Highway Assistant provides a very creative SAE Level 2.

“Highway Assistant” can only be used if the car has the “Driving Assistance Professional Package” installed.

Mercedes “Hands Free Driving” -

The first car manufacturer in the world to introduce SAE Level 3 conditionally automated driving to the United States is Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes’s “hands free driving” technology is called “DRIVE PILOT“. Mercedes-Benz DRIVE PILOT is authorized to operate on California’s major motorways as well as some sections of Nevada’s. But a driver who is prepared for a fallback is still needed. When the vehicle prompts the “fallback-ready” driver to take over, it must always be prepared to do so.

First Mercedes-Benz “S-Class” and “EQS Sedan” models built in 2024 will be able to choose for DRIVE PILOT; the first vehicles will be delivered to customers in the latter part of 2023.

Toyota “Hands Free Driving” -

With Toyota “Advanced Drive“, “hands-free driving” is feasible in situations where the “driver monitor” system verifies that the vehicle is being operated with eyes on the road. On some limited-access highways, drivers can receive assistance from “Advanced Drive”. “Advanced Drive” is not a “self-driving”, or “automated/autonomous driving” vehicle system.

Available as “Toyota Teammate” technology on “Toyota’s 2023 Mirai”, which offers “Advanced Drive” and “Advanced Park” as two features. Feature “Advanced Drive” is categorized as SAE Level 2.

Ram Trucks “Hands Free Driving” -

The company refers to its SAR Level 2 “hands free driving” capabilities as “Hands-Free Active Driving Assist”. The driver can unwind while keeping their hands off the wheel and their eyes on the road when “Hands-Free Active Driving Assist” is activated, on approved roadways. This device is meant to be a convenience for drivers; it is not a replacement for active driving. Combining the “Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)” and “Active Driving Assist (ADA)” systems allows the car to stay in its lane even at high speeds — up to 90 mph.

Some “Ram 1500” models, including the “Ram 1500 REV”, come with this technology.

Hands must always be on the steering wheel according to some state and local rules.

Note: Several car manufacturers provide “hands on driving” instead of actual “hands free driving”. Thus, keep both of these technologies in mind. Learn more about “hands on driving” here.

That’s all friends.