Ford is cutting the monthly and annual cost of its hands-free driver assistance feature, BlueCruise, for new and existing owners in response to feedback from “customers and dealers,” the company tells TechCrunch.
the car manufacturer announced On Tuesday it announced that it will now charge $49.99 a month or $495 a year for BlueCruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on pre-mapped highways across the United States. That’s down from the previous price of $75 per month or $800 per year.
Ford also now offers what it calls a “one-time purchase” option for BlueCruise. Buyers can purchase BlueCruise for $2,495 when ordering a new vehicle, and Ford promises to keep it active for at least seven years. The company says homeowners won’t have to pay a cent more after the seven years “if the service is available.” Owners cannot transfer their BlueCruise subscription to another vehicle.
The price drop comes as BlueCruise is currently under a federal investigation after two fatal accidents occurred earlier this year in which the feature was active. A driver involved in one of those accidents was recently charged with homicide by DUI.
Announced in 2021, BlueCruise uses a camera-based driver monitoring system to check whether drivers are looking at the road while the system is active. The company declined to share what percentage of owners turned on the feature. Ford’s switch to BlueCruise pricing also comes a day after the company announced It is offering a free home charger and coverage facility in a bid to drive adoption of its electric vehicles.
