Despite the claims Tesla (read Elon Musk) has made about introducing fully autonomous vehicles by 2021, we haven't seen this happen yet. No car manufacturer is quite there with the technology to provide such a feature, although they're getting closer each year.
According to the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE), there are five levels of autonomy in driving, ranging from Level 0 (no driving automation, classic cars would fit here for sure) to Level 5 (full self-driving service available under all conditions). Most modern cars are at Level 1, offering standard autonomous features that help with acceleration, braking, and steering on the road, such as adaptive cruise control or lane-centering assist.
But some rides stand at Level 2, requiring drivers to stay in control over the vehicle but allowing the autonomous features to handle steering, acceleration, and braking. Levels 3, 4, and 5 would offer advanced autonomous driving, allowing cars to take full control, although not in all conditions in cases 3 and 4. These three are still not available and will probably need some time to develop. Either way, the following cars or SUVs are examples of Level 2 Autonomous rides that come closest to self-driving in 2022.
UPDATED NOVEMBER 2022: Article updated to reflect any changes in automotive autonomous news and features, and we see if there are any developments or new models available that include self-driving features or more advanced technology.
Tesla Model S: One Of The Most Advanced Autonomous Cars
Broken promises aside, Tesla did make a big step toward autonomous driving. Its all-electric Model S comes with semi-autonomous driving features that come with Autopilot, which is also present in other new rides from the brand.
This system includes adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assist, and speed control. Customers can also opt for a Full Self-Driving package that offers advanced options such as lane change, highway navigation, and self-parking. With the package, you can also summon the car from a parking lot, which is a neat option.
The 2022 Cadillac Escalade Offers Super Cruise For Effortless Progress
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The Cadillac Escalade is one of the most praised large luxury SUVs of 2022, and for many good reasons. One of them is the advanced technology that comes with the car, starting with the semi-autonomous package named the Super Cruise.
The Super Cruise system is optional on the Escalade and is slowly becoming a standard at Cadillac. It's marketed as a hands-free feature that warns you to pay attention to the road when necessary, changes lanes automatically (or on demand), and uses mapping technology on over 200,000 miles. Although not fully autonomous, it's very advanced and helpful.
Ford's F-150 And Mustang Mach-E Feature Autonomous Systems
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Ford is by no means lagging behind the other brands when it comes to developing self-driving technologies. Its Blue Cruise system, formerly known as Active Drive Assist, is available in the attention-grabbing new Ford F-150 models and the Mustang Mach-E. The system got built on the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go/Lane Centering and Speed Sign Recognition. It includes all kinds of convenient features, allowing for hands-free driving on some road sections that Ford calls Hands-Free Blue Zones.
Check Out The Infiniti QX50 For The ProPILOT System
The next on our list is the lovely Infiniti QX50 and its ProPILOT system. Although Infiniti rightfully doesn't consider its ProPILOT Assist an autonomous-driving system, this is in fact a helpful self-driving package that includes many advanced driver-assist features.
Infiniti and its parent Nissan plan to continue improving the ProPILOT until it reaches full autonomy. We'll see how this goes. For now, the system includes radar and camera sensors to read road conditions and predict situations to help you adapt and react. The ProPILOT will adjust your speed to match the traffic, warn you about your next exit (and slow down), and give you a 360-view for easy maneuverability, among other things.
The Ultra-Modern BMW iX Electric Crossover
The 2022 BMW iX has been on the front pages of many magazines for its improved tech. Well, yes, and the changing color, but that's another story. The iDrive 8 system in the BMW iX has brought some outstanding features to the vehicle and significantly boosted the graphics.
But the iX has also taken a step toward automated driving and parking functions. BMW claims it's taking this vehicle to Level 3 functionality with new-generation sensors and software. In total, the iX has five cameras, five radar sensors, and 12 ultrasonic sensors to monitor the surroundings. It also sports the most advanced set of standard driver assistance system ever seen in BMW vehicles.
The Future Of Self Driving Cars On The Roads
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We include all the prospective vehicles that include advanced autonomous features for 2022 in this brief article. Some of the rides that are also worthy of attention include the Volvo V90, the Audi A7, the BMW X7, the Volkswagen ID.4, the Nissan Rogue, the Mercedes-Benz S Class, and the Genesis G90.
In addition to the vehicles that got covered in this article, we saw recently that Tesla are in hot water again for the claims it made about its vehicles' autonomous driving ability being misleading.
Not only that but as seen in an article in The Verge in October the company is under investigation for over 12 crashes in which the cars were reportedly involved and in self-driving mode at the time of the incident - some of the accidents were fatal.
For now, the full-self-driving tech in its Autopilot, just like the other cars in the list, are 'Level 2' autonomous, and we're still waiting on 'Level 3' self-driving cars for a few reasons.
Most importantly, the technology needs to get improved and refined hugely, until there is a satisfactory level of precision and almost risk-free quality to the systems.
Secondly, laws, legislation and infrastructure need to catch up with the technology.
As of November 2022, the list of cars with autonomous safety features is growing, with lane-change assist and dynamic cruise control almost an expected standard feature in new cars.