GM developing eyes-off, hands-off automated driving system

• GM working on Level 3 automated driving system
• Mercedes-Benz is only automaker with Level 3 system currently available
• Stellantis also working on Level 3 system

General Motors is developing an automated driving system that will allow the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel and their eyes off the road during certain conditions, though the driver will need to be ready to take back control at any moment.

Such systems rank at Level 3 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability, the first level where the car can drive completely on its own, and right now only Mercedes-Benz offers such as system in the form of Drive Pilot.

All other automated driving systems for private cars, including GM’s Super Cruise, rank at Level 2 only, as they still require the driver to monitor the road at all times.

News of GM’s work on a Level 3 system was confirmed by the automaker’s senior vice president of software and services engineering, Dave Richardson, in an interview with TechCrunch published on Oct. 4.

“Super Cruise, I think, is an industry-leading L2 solution for hands off, eyes on,” he said. “We’re looking aggressively to make that an L3 solution, where you don’t even have to look at the road anymore.”

Stellantis in June also said it is working on a Level 3 system.

Richardson didn’t mention a date for the release of a Level 3 system by GM, but cautioned in his interview with TechCrunch that the system would only be launched when it is robust and reliable, or else owners would soon lose trust in it.

GM in the meantime will continue to improve its Super Cruise system, including using some of Super Cruise’s technology to enhance other features in the car. For example, the driver monitoring system of Super Cruise was recently used to develop a standalone system to detect distracted drivers.

GM will also expand the system to more vehicles and to cover more roads. The automaker in February said Super Cruise will be expanded to cover around 750,000 miles of roads across the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2025.

GM eventually aims to have 95% of U.S. roads covered by Super Cruise, which will make many door-to-door journeys possible. GM originally planned to market this more capable version as Ultra Cruise, though the automaker has abandoned the Ultra Cruise name and will instead stick with Super Cruise since it is already recognized by consumers.