Ford Co-Pilot 360 is a collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) that debuted in the refreshed 2019 Ford Edge midsize SUV. The core components of Ford Co-Pilot 360 include forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic forward emergency braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, automatic high-beam headlights, and a reversing camera.
After Ford introduced the technology in the Edge, it began rolling Co-Pilot 360 out to other models. Today, most Ford vehicles offer Co-Pilot 360 as standard or optional equipment.
Technology always improves over time, and fast. It didn’t take long before Ford began offering Ford Co-Pilot 360 Assist+ on some of its models, such as the redesigned 2020 Ford Explorer.
An upgrade to the foundational set of technologies, Ford Co-Pilot 360 Assist+ equips a vehicle with “intelligent” adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, lane-centering assistance, speed-limit sign recognition, and evasive steering assistance. These represent the building blocks to Level 2 semi-autonomous driving assist systems.
With this package, the adaptive cruise control is intelligent because it will automatically resume travel for up to 30 seconds after the vehicle comes to a stop. With Ford’s previous adaptive cruise control system, the time limit was three seconds. Evasive steering assistance adds a layer of vehicle stability when a driver takes sudden action to avoid an obstacle ahead.
Ford also adds an automatic reverse braking function to some vehicles to support optional Active Park Assist 2.0 technology.
When activated, this feature scouts appropriately sized parallel and perpendicular parking spaces. When it finds a good spot, and if the driver chooses to use the next level of parking assistance and remains inside the vehicle, Active Park Assist 2.0 will control the steering, brakes, transmission, and accelerator to park the car autonomously.
Ford’s vision for this technology is autonomous parking capability when the driver is not inside the vehicle, similar to technologies like Remote Smart Parking Assist for Genesis and Hyundai models and Tesla Smart Summon.
In conjunction with the debut of the 2021 Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle, Ford announced Co-Pilot 360 2.0. This next-generation version of the technology adds three new technologies to the mix: Road Edge Detection, Blind Spot Assist, and Intersection Assist.
Road Edge Detection is for use on narrow roads without lane markings, which are common in rural areas. It detects the dirt or grass that lines the road, and as the vehicle drifts close to it, Road Edge Detection warns the driver that the car is about to leave the pavement.
Blind Spot Assist adds an active intervention element to the blind-spot warning system. If a vehicle is in a Ford’s blind spot, and the driver ignores the blind-spot warnings, Blind Spot Assist actively steers the car back toward the center of its lane to prevent a dangerous lane change.
Intersection Assist is also coming to future Fords. This technology can actively stop a vehicle when a driver attempts to make an unsafe left turn across traffic. For example, if you’re waiting at a traffic light and it turns yellow, and you start to make your turn, but oncoming vehicles are trying to get through the intersection before the light goes red, Intersection Assist will stop your Ford until the danger has passed.
Ford plans to roll out various elements of Co-Pilot 360 2.0 to its 2021 model year vehicles. Not all of them will get the same package of equipment.
Ford will start offering Active Drive Assist on the new Mustang Mach-E. It is a Level 2+ ADAS providing hands-free driving on more than 100,000 miles of divided highways in the U.S. and Canada. It includes an infrared camera-based driver monitoring system that can tell when a driver is not paying attention, even if he or she is wearing sunglasses.
Early Mustang Mach-E owners will order their vehicles with a Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 preparation package and will download an over-the-air software update to activate the technology.
Ford is the source of information in this article. It was accurate on October 19, 2020, but it may have changed since that date.
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