The parent company of Jeep has announced a new “hands free, eyes off” autonomous driving system that’s designed to enable users to be productive while in traffic.
The system is designed to work in “certain conditions” at speeds no faster than 37mph (60kmph), enabling users to handle “other matters” while behind the wheel.
There’s “time to read, catch-up on messages, engage with passengers and simply enjoy the view,” the parent company Stellantis says.
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To use the new STLA AutoDrive feature, users have to be in the right conditions, such as on a highway, in a traffic jam, with good visibility for the car’s sensors to act on the driver’s behalf.
So, if you’re liable to spend an hour in stop-start traffic while commuting to and from work, the SLTA button might come in handy to get a head start on your day or cram in a few more pages of the book you’re enjoying.
Stellantis (which also owns Dodge and RAM) says it isn’t ready to launch the Level 3 Autonomous driving feature yet, but does say it is fully operational and ready to go.
The company says the system benefits from self-cleaning sensors like cameras, radar and ultra-sonic sensors, which cover the full-range of self-driving needs. That’s reassuring.
When traffic eases and drivers are again able to travel at high speeds, STLA will alert the drivers of their need to take over, while still offering features like lane centring and adaptive cruise control.
You can check out the system in the video below:
“The technology is fully developed and ready for deployment,” Stellantis company spokesperson Dan Reid told The Verge. “However, the current market for Level 3 autonomous driving is very limited. We have made the strategic decision not to launch it at this time. Once the market opens up and becomes more receptive, we will move forward with introducing this advanced technology.”
The company is even targeting AutoDrive systems that work in challenging weather conditions, or dusk. However, that’s likely to come even farther down the road.
Because we can’t be trusted to focus
Given the lack of attention we currently see from road users blatantly on their phones, or doing makeup in the rear view mirror, we’d welcome a system like this.
As drivers, many of us allow in too many distractions from the task of keeping ourselves and other road users safe. At least with a system like Jeep’s watching what’s around us, there’s mitigation for that.
