BlueCruise 1.2 on 2023 Mustang Mach-E hands… off review
Like many autonomous driving systems, Ford’s BlueCruise (also called Lincoln ActiveGlide) has been a work in progress since we first used it on the 2021 Mustang Mach-E. Things have changed a lot in two years, however. For version 1.2, the following are the major new features that Ford is hyping and I am testing.
- Lane Change Assist can help drivers move through traffic on the freeway with more confidence while using BlueCruise. The system will perform a hands-free lane change when requested by the driver tapping the turn signal, and it can even suggest if a lane change would be beneficial when following slow-moving traffic.
- Predictive Speed Assist automatically and smoothly adjusts the speed as drivers approach a sharp curve and will help signal the driver ahead of time when a speed change is about to occur so they understand why the vehicle is slowing.
- In-Lane Repositioning makes the hands-free highway driving experience feel more natural, keeping the vehicle in its lane while subtly shifting the vehicle’s position away from vehicles in adjacent lanes – especially helpful when next to bigger vehicles such as semis.
I took the Mustang Mach-E on Interstate 87 from Albany, New York, down toward New York City for about 120 miles. That route is blessed by Ford and available for hands-free BlueCruise. Ford is rapidly expanding on which roads are compatible but still hasn’t reached quite as wide as GM’s SuperCruise or Tesla’s AutoPilot. Tesla will let me attempt to autonomously traverse my driveway and anything bigger.
Ford’s BlueCruise is activated when you hit the far left button on the steering wheel. Immediately, you are in Autonomous mode. You will need to keep your hands on the wheel, but when the car registers that it is on an approved highway, it will signal that you can go hands-free.
Once you are hands-free, you need to keep your eyes on the road. Ford is watching you from a camera mounted to the windshield behind the rearview mirror and another set of eyes behind the steering wheel. If you look down for more than a few glances or cover your eyes, the car starts beeping, then proceeds to freak out with lights, sounds, and even braking events.
As I left Albany, I put the car into BlueCruise and wasn’t alerted until the first turnpike exit, where the car requested I put my hands on the wheel. This happened at every on-ramp/exit for the next 30 or so miles, when it eventually stopped.
Lane Change Assist
The easiest and most common new feature is lane change. If you come up to a car going much slower than yourself, BlueCruise will ask you if you want to do a lane change. You initiate it with the turn signal, and it works incredibly smoothly (especially compared to Tesla’s early efforts). The downside is that after you change lanes, you have to turn off the signal rather than it shutting itself off.
You can initiate this on your own as well, and in my testing, it worked reliably.
Predictive Speed Assist
This one kind of crept up on me, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. As I approached tighter turns, the car slowed down from its set speed. But it did so in a way that was almost unnoticeable and just a few miles per hour. This feature was much more notable on the curvier Taconic parkway we took to Albany, where the car would drop 5-10 miles per hour of speed.
In-Lane Repositioning
This is one of those features I’ve been hoping to see for a while on my Tesla Model Y. As we maneuver through tight spots, the car centers itself in the lane, whether or not there is a car in the lane next to me. But that’s not natural.
When you pull alongside another car, Ford subtly moves the BlueCruise vehicle to the other side of the lane if there isn’t a car on the other side of you. That way, it feels a lot safer, and it is something we often do naturally and subconsciously. I wouldn’t have noticed this at all if I hadn’t been looking for it. But it does make the car and the system feel safer.
Other things
It has been two years since I’ve been behind the wheel of the Mustang Mach-E, though I did try BlueCruise 1.2 on the Ford F-150 in October. The difference two years makes is night and day for BlueCruise. But there were some other things I wish could have moved as fast.
I wish Ford could improve charging speed a bit. At an Electrify America 350kW charger, I went from 39% to 66% charge in 26 minutes, which works out to just over a kWh per minute of charge. That’s quite slow, even though it was cold. Ford needs to work on battery conditioning and the charge curve to deliver higher rates of charge.
Staying on charging, I would like to see an internal screen showing the charging specs, even when the car is off. As it stands, there is a little external circular six-spot light bar that shows the charging status, but it is hard to read. I need more info!
Electrek’s Take
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Hands-off autonomy is so much nicer to use on the open road than having to keep your hands on the wheel. That’s why I think SuperCruise and now Ford’s BlueCruise are better experiences on the road than Tesla’s Autopilot.
With your hands off the wheel, you feel like a passenger, and with the car keeping an eye on your eyes, you are free to look around a lot more, eat a sandwich, and adjust your seating position in ways you can’t with your hands on the wheel.
Ford, for its part, is moving the needle quite a bit in the right direction and already has a product that will lighten the mental and physical load of a driver on interstates.
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Wind energy powered 20% of all electricity consumed in Europe (19% in the EU) in 2024, and the EU has set a goal to grow this share to 34% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050.
To stay on track, the EU needs to install 30 GW of new wind farms annually, but it only managed 13 GW in 2024 – 11.4 GW onshore and 1.4 GW offshore. This is what’s holding the EU back from achieving its wind growth goals.
Three big problems holding Europe’s wind power back
Europe’s wind power growth is stalling for three key reasons:
Permitting delays. Many governments haven’t implemented the EU’s new permitting rules, making it harder for projects to move forward.
Grid connection bottlenecks. Over 500 GW(!) of potential wind capacity is stuck in grid connection queues.
Slow electrification. Europe’s economy isn’t electrifying fast enough to drive demand for more renewable energy.
Brussels-based trade association WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson summed it up: “The EU must urgently tackle all three problems. More wind means cheaper power, which means increased competitiveness.”
Permitting: Germany sets the standard
Permitting remains a massive roadblock, despite new EU rules aimed at streamlining the process. In fact, the situation worsened in 2024 in many countries. The bright spot? Germany. By embracing the EU’s permitting rules — with measures like binding deadlines and treating wind energy as a public interest priority — Germany approved a record 15 GW of new onshore wind in 2024. That’s seven times more than five years ago.
If other governments follow Germany’s lead, Europe could unlock the full potential of wind energy and bolster energy security.
Grid connections: a growing crisis
Access to the electricity grid is now the biggest obstacle to deploying wind energy. And it’s not just about long queues — Europe’s grid infrastructure isn’t expanding fast enough to keep up with demand. A glaring example is Germany’s 900-megawatt (MW) Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farm. The turbines are ready to go, but the grid connection won’t be in place until 2026.
This issue isn’t isolated. Governments need to accelerate grid expansion if they’re serious about meeting renewable energy targets.
Electrification: falling behind
Wind energy’s growth is also tied to how quickly Europe electrifies its economy. Right now, electricity accounts for just 23% of the EU’s total energy consumption. That needs to jump to 61% by 2050 to align with climate goals. However, electrification efforts in key sectors like transportation, heating, and industry are moving too slowly.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has tasked Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen with crafting an Electrification Action Plan. That can’t come soon enough.
More wind farms awarded, but challenges persist
On a positive note, governments across Europe awarded a record 37 GW of new wind capacity (29 GW in the EU) in 2024. But without faster permitting, better grid connections, and increased electrification, these awards won’t translate into the clean energy-producing wind farms Europe desperately needs.
Investments and corporate interest
Investments in wind energy totaled €31 billion in 2024, financing 19 GW of new capacity. While onshore wind investments remained strong at €24 billion, offshore wind funding saw a dip. Final investment decisions for offshore projects remain challenging due to slow permitting and grid delays.
Corporate consumers continue to show strong interest in wind energy. Half of all electricity contracted under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in 2024 was wind. Dedicated wind PPAs were 4 GW out of a total of 12 GW of renewable PPAs.
Read more: Renewables could meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030 – IEA
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the official unveiling of the new Tesla Model Y, Mazda 6e, Aptera solar car production-intent, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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The Chinese EV leader is launching a new flagship electric sedan. BYD’s new Han L EV leaked in China on Friday, revealing a potential Tesla Model S Plaid challenger.
What we know about the BYD Han L EV so far
We knew it was coming soon after BYD teased the Han L on social media a few days ago. Now, we are learning more about what to expect.
BYD’s new electric sedan appeared in China’s latest Ministry of Industry and Information Tech (MIIT) filing, a catalog of new vehicles that will soon be sold.
The filing revealed four versions, including two EV and two PHEV models. The Han L EV will be available in single- and dual-motor configurations. With a peak power of 580 kW (777 hp), the single-motor model packs more power than expected.
BYD’s dual-motor Han L gains an additional 230 kW (308 hp) front-mounted motor. As CnEVPost pointed out, the vehicle’s back has a “2.7S” badge, which suggests a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.
To put that into perspective, the Tesla Model S Plaid can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 2.1 seconds. In China, the Model S Plaid starts at RBM 814,900, or over $110,000. Speaking of Tesla, the EV leader just unveiled its highly anticipated Model Y “Juniper” refresh in China on Thursday. It starts at RMB 263,500 ($36,000).
BYD already sells the Han EV in China, starting at around RMB 200,000. However, the single front motor, with a peak power of 180 kW, is much less potent than the “L” model. The Han EV can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
At 5,050 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,970 mm, BYD’s new Han L is roughly the size of the Model Y (4,970 mm long, 1,964 mm wide, 1,445 mm tall, wheelbase of 2,960 mm).
Other than that it will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack from BYD’s FinDreams unit, no other battery specs were revealed. Check back soon for the full rundown.
Source: CnEVPost, China MIIT
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