Folding my hands in my lap, I sat behind the wheel of Cadillac’s flagship CT6 sedan and merrily chatted with President Johan de Nysschen, who stretched out in the passenger seat, as the car steered itself down Interstate-10 for the six-hour drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles.
The CT6 was equipped with a $5,000 option that made the hands-free trip possible: Cadillac’s new Super Cruise driver assist system, the brand’s answer to the self-driving revolution.
Billed by Cadillac as the first true hands-free driving system for the highway, Super Cruise uses a system of cameras, radar, and sensors to steer itself on limited-access highways at speeds of up to 85 mph.
Once I merged onto the freeway, centered the car in the lane, and pressed a button to activate Super Cruise, a green LED light atop the steering wheel indicated it was OK to go hands-free, making me feel unmoored at first.
Unlike systems from other manufacturers, Super Cruise doesn’t require the driver to touch the wheel occasionally as proof that he or she is paying attention. Though it can’t change lanes or steer itself onto the exit ramp, it can brake itself and slow itself to round simple curves.
To read more of the original article, go to Forbes.
