General Motors plans to significantly expand its network of roads compatible with assisted driving technology SuperCruise. Across North America, it will be possible to drive on twice as many roads as before without touching the steering wheel.

In Canada, the expansion is even greater. The Super Cruises network will be more than tripled from around 24,000 kilometers to almost 80,000 kilometers. Much will come from sections of the Trans-Canada Highway and adjacent roads.

This is how it looks on the map:

GM states that new vehicles with its VIP electric architecture manufactured later in 2022, such as Cadillac Lyriq, the functionality is built in as soon as they leave the factory. Existing models equipped with the Super Cruise system range from the Chevrolet Bolt EUV to Cadillac Escaladereceives a remote software update.

“GM is fully committed to making advanced driver assistance technologies more accessible. We’re adding Super Cruise to more vehicles and for more routes,” said Super Cruise Chief Engineer Mario Maiorana.

When the system is activated, the vehicle’s radars and cameras automatically keep it centered in its lane, also using LiDAR maps and GPS data. Super Cruise manages acceleration and braking to maintain a predetermined distance from the vehicle in front, controls steering and, on some models, even performs lane changes, whether driver-initiated or not.

The system ensures that the person behind the wheel remains alert by following their head or eye movements in relation to the road.

Next stop: Ultra Cruise

Last fall, GM announced an even more advanced new driver assistance system, UltraCruise, which will be rolled out from 2023. This should make it possible to let the car maneuver 95% of the time not only on the motorway, but also in the city and on the outskirts. The driver only has to take over the wheel again in construction sites or at confusing intersections.

This feature will be available on more than 3 million kilometers of route in the United States and Canada at launch and eventually more than 5.6 million kilometers.

In the video: The Super Cruise system tested in Quebec