Hands-free, Active Drive Assist will be available on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 starting … [+]
Sometime in the third quarter of 2021, Ford will start pushing out an over-the-air software update to buyers of the new F-150 and Mustang Mach-E that enables hands-free partially automated driving. Within a year after that, the automaker expects 100,000 vehicles to have this new capability. Pricing is going to be a key factor in hitting that threshold with the feature costing as little as $1,595 on the 2021 F-150.
Active drive assist (ADA) is a level 2, partially automated driving system that enables drivers to go hands-free on divided highways, much like GM’s similar Super Cruise and Nissan’s ProPilot Assist V2. The Mach-E and F-150 are the first vehicles to offer Ford’s system although other vehicles are expected to add it later. While both new vehicles are now in production and customer deliveries will be starting in the coming weeks, customers will have to wait until sometime in the third quarter of next year to take their hands off the steering wheel.
ADA will be available on the premium Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited versions of the F-150 and all trims of the Mach-E. The F-150 Limited and Mach-E Premium, First Edition and CA Route 1 models will all get ADA standard.
For the other premium trims of F-150, they will have to opt for the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package to get ADA along with Active Park Assist 2.0 for hands-free parking. The total package cost is $1,595, but customers that buy before the OTA update arrives will get a $100 discount. Since those early buyers won’t have had the opportunity to try out ADA, Ford is splitting up the purchase. They will pay $895 up front when they buy the truck for the prep package that includes all of the sensors and the hands-free parking. Once the ADA update is released, they can pay another $600 for the OTA software update or take a pass if they choose.
On the Mach-E Select, customers will have to get the $3,200 Comfort and Technology package that also bundles 360-degree cameras, heated seats and heated steering wheel. Like the F-150, with a $100 discount, $2,500 will be due at purchase and the other $600 when the OTA update is available. After the software is released, new customers will pay the full option price up front.
For comparison, GM charged $5,000 for Super Cruise on versions of the Cadillac CT6 where it was optional. GM has yet to announce pricing for the second generation Super Cruise that is debuting soon on the new Cadillac Escalade.
Recently a minor controversy arose around Super Cruise when it was revealed that customers would have to start paying for a $25 per month OnStar service to continue using Super Cruise after the initial three year OnStar trial expired. This was listed in the fine print at launch, but GM never publicly talked about it and almost no one know of this limitation. The connectivity subscription is required to enable map updates. Following the initial blow-up, GM extended the trial for first year Super Cruise customers for an extra year, but they will have to start paying next year.
To their credit, Ford is acknowledging up front that customers will have to pay for a FordPass Connect subscription to use ADA after three years. Like GM, Ford needs the connectivity to supply map and software updates. Ford isn’t announcing a price at this time, but promises it will be competitive which likely means that it will be the same $25 per month.
Like the GM and Nissan systems, ADA relies on four cameras for a surround view of the road ahead and behind as well as the lane markers on the side, a long-range front radar, and four short range corner radars. HERE maps will be used to limit activation to more than 100,000 miles of divided highways and an infrared driver monitor system will ensure that the driver is watching the road while the system is active. The whole system is powered by Mobileye’s EyeQ4 system-on-a-chip.
Ford is also trying overcome the challenges GM had with the sun blinding the infrared camera when it was rising up behind the vehicle. The Ford configuration will actually have three cameras all angled slightly differently.
Ford is pricing ADA relatively aggressively compared to GM’s initial pricing in the hope of spurring widespread adoption. The automaker expects to have 100,000 customers with ADA within the first 12 months. Given that it is standard on most trims of the Mach-E and will also be available on the strong selling F-150, that target seems very plausible.
