What is the Lincoln ActiveGlide?
You've purchased, or are considering purchasing, a brand new Lincoln SUV. You admire its looks, and we understand. You appreciate the luxury of the interior, and so you should. You're impressed with the smoothness of the ride, as are we. More importantly, like many new Lincoln drivers, you're curious about the Lincoln ActiveGlide.
No, your Lincoln won't drive itself. At least not always, and never without your supervision. But the Lincoln ActiveGlide is a driving assistance system that allows you to let go of the wheel and your SUV to drive without assistance. However, there are several conditions that must be met.
One of those conditions is that you drive on one of the roads already identified by Lincoln's development team. You also need to have the external conditions right, and, yes, you need to keep your eyes on the road.
How does the Lincoln ActiveGlide system work?
In a nutshell, the ActiveGlide system works simply. In reality, it's a marriage of several technologies and many months of development that went into this unique project. To be functional, ActiveGlide uses a combination of advanced camera, radar and driver monitoring technologies, as well as a specific mapping system.
More than 220,000 kilometres of divided roads were studied and analyzed before being included in the vehicle's mapping. In 2020, five vehicles travelled these roads, crossing 37 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces to record the data. They took note of certain elements and incorporated actual road conditions into their analysis.
This included analyzing variations in traffic signs, lane markings, exit ramps, traffic and weather. Once these analyses were completed, the road sections visited were entered as approved routes by ActiveGlide (and by Ford's Blue Cruise, whose database it shares).
An assistance system
While ActiveGlide is theoretically capable of taking full control of the vehicle, Lincoln engineers made sure it remained safe at all times. That's why, in order to activate, the system must meet certain conditions.
- 1. The driver must first activate the system, which is not automatic.
- 2. The car must be in a pre-approved zone. The system will then indicate whether the vehicle is in a blue hands-free zone by communicating with the driver through messages on the digital dashboard and blue light signals.
- 3. Once these conditions are met, ActiveGlide will then take control of the vehicle, ensuring a worry-free ride. But beware, the driver must remain alert, even if his hands are not touching the wheel.A driver-facing camera in the dashboard constantly monitors the driver's attention. If the driver's attention is diverted for too long, an alert will be sent to the driver before ActiveGlide is deactivated.
In the future, Lincoln plans to add new driver assistance technologies and regularly update its mapping software. In the meantime, you'll be able to enjoy optional hands-free driving in almost any Lincoln vehicle. But be warned, keep your eyes open. We care about you!
