What is Adaptive Cruise Control? While cars have had some form of cruise control for years, allowing the vehicle to maintain a set speed without the driver needing to use the accelerator, ACC takes that concept and adds both safety and functionality. Adaptive cruise control will maintain a set speed, but is also an intelligent system that reacts to the environment around the vehicle, automatically adjusting your speed so that your car stays a safe distance away from the vehicle in front. With your vehicle speeding up or slowing down as required, it is not only providing improved safety, but also allows drivers to avoid fatigue on longer journeys and in general makes the driving experience more comfortable. How Does Adaptive Cruise Control Work? The system is based around some form of sensor solution, usually cameras or laser detection, to identify the objects around it, and in particular, vehicles in front of the vehicle. Once activated, you set a max speed for the ACC, and it will travel at that speed unless it detects a vehicle in front of you. It will then adjust the speed of the vehicle to maintain a safe distance from the car in front. If the vehicle in front slows down, the ACC will slow your car too, always keeping that safe distance, and it can control both throttle and brake systems to achieve the speed changes required. If the vehicle in front speeds up, the adaptive cruise control will as well, up to the maximum speed you set. With all of this automated, driving is much less taxing for the driver, as they don’t have to touch the throttle at all, ideal for avoiding fatigue on longer journeys and maintaining safe driving practices at all times. Which Cars Have ACC? Like all innovations, adaptive cruise control as we know it today, capable of controlling throttle and brakes while sensing the vehicles around it, began as a feature for high end vehicles. However, while it launched on the Mercedes S-Class, it can now be found on much more modest cars, and everything ranging from Tesla, Volkswagen and BMW to Ford, Hyundai and Volvo all offer a range of vehicles that include the technology. It is often incorporated into other advanced systems, forming one of the key parts for other features we love, such as semi-autonomous driving solutions, like Tesla’s Autopilot. Conclusion It is rare new technology improves multiple things at once, but adaptive cruise control is one of them. Without the need to use the throttle constantly, it just makes driving a more comfortable experience, and the longer the journey you are taking, the more you will notice that. But it also improves safety too, making sure there is always a safe braking space between you and the car in front, and of course, it is an essential system in the development of autonomous driving systems. Today, you don’t have to spend a fortune to find a vehicle with ACC included, and there are even aftermarket systems that let you retrofit the technology to cars that did not leave the factory with it installed. As a reliable, intelligent system, adaptive cruise control is one of those industry changing features that once you try it, you can’t imaging living without.
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