GM is working on a driving system in which eyes and hands are not taken into account

Seven years ago, GM became the first automaker to introduce its advanced Super Cruise driver assistance system, which enabled hands-free driving. Now it wants to expand those capabilities even further with a system that one top GM software executive says will also allow drivers to take their eyes off the road.

These eye- and hands-off systems – also known in the industry as Level 3 or L3 – are not autonomous cars like the ones Waymo operates (which are considered Level 4). Instead, they usually only operate on highways and at reduced speeds. Unlike a robotaxi, the driver still has to take control when necessary.

Despite these limitations, a hands-free, eyes-free system would take GM beyond almost every other automaker offering an advanced driver-assist system. Most car manufacturers now offer what’s called Level 2, a system that automates part of driving but still requires the driver’s attention. Tesla’s Autopilot – and even its FSD software – is still considered a Level 2 system, along with GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s Blue Cruise systems.

Currently, only Mercedes-Benz offers a hands-free, eyes-free system called Drive Pilot in the United States.

“I believe that Super Cruise is the industry-leading L2 solution that allows you to take your eyes off your work,” Dave Richardson, senior vice president of software engineering and services at GM, told TechCrunch in an extensive interview. “We are aggressively pursuing an L3 solution where you don’t even have to look at the road anymore.”

Super Cruise uses a combination of lidar mapping data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors, and a driver attention monitoring system that monitors the person behind the wheel to make sure they are keeping their eyes on the road. When the system is activated, it accelerates or brakes to maintain a selected distance from the vehicle in front, steers to maintain lane, and automatically changes lanes to overtake slower traffic.

Although Super Cruise was the industry’s first hands-free ADAS system to hit the market when it launched in 2017, GM was not seen as a dominant player because it severely limited access to the system. For three years, the system was only available on one model, the Cadillac CT6, and was limited to certain divided highways. Currently, Super Cruise is widely available among GM brands such as Chevrolet and GMC. GM says that by mid-2025, Super Cruise will be available on approximately 750,000 miles of roads in the United States and Canada, including rural roads and smaller roads that often connect smaller cities and towns.

Richardson did not provide a timeline for when such a system could become publicly available. And he acted coy when it comes to exactly how the company is progressing on this mission.

“I think when we have L3 it’s going to make a difference… I think it’s going to be a game changer,” Richardson said. Of course, the most important thing is to know when such a system is fully developed; Richardson noted that introducing anything earlier could discourage customers.

“If you don’t fully trust it and it throws you off your feet, it’s like – I sometimes use an analogy – driving with your 15-year-old who is just learning to drive. They are not really trusted and the situation becomes a bit more stressful.

Some recent hires suggest the company is stepping up its efforts.

In December, GM hired Ananta Kancherla as vice president of ADAS. One of Kancherla’s directives is to lay the foundation for Super Cruise and develop or innovate for the next phase, said GM spokesman Stuart Fowle. This includes taking the Super Cruise system (particularly via software) and applying it elsewhere. For example, a monitoring system that keeps the driver’s eyes focused on the road was recently implemented to discourage distracted driving, even when Super Cruise is not activated. This new feature, known as Driver Attention Assist, was introduced a few months ago.

Kancherla has had a long technology career in Silicon Valley, working for Meta, Microsoft, and Dropbox. But it’s his five years as vice president of software engineering for Lyft’s autonomous vehicle division that may prove most useful to GM. (Lyft eventually sold the company to Toyota.)

Kancherla and Richardson are among a group of recent software hires coming from Silicon Valley tech companies. Richardson joined GM last year after 11 years at Apple.