What is adaptive cruise control

Here at ExtremeTech we see automobiles as canada goose outlet much more than just four wheels, an engine, and a few seats. We view automobiles as being the ultimate mobile technology platform and something as worthy of our attention as the latest CPU or smartphone. With that in mind, we be releasing a series ofintroductory auto tech articles, canada goose outlet in usa providing readers with in depth explanations of today important technologies. First up for the series: adaptive cruise control.

Adaptive cruise control basicsAdaptive cruise control (ACC) is canada goose outlet uk sale an intelligent form of cruise control that slows down and speeds up automatically to keep pace with the car in front of you. The driver sets the maximum speed just canada goose clearance sale as with cruise control then a radar sensor watches for traffic ahead, locks on to the car in a lane, and instructs canada goose outlet shop the car to stay 2, 3, or 4 seconds behind the person car ahead of it (the driver sets the follow distance, within reason). ACC is now almost always paired with a pre crash system that alerts you and often begins braking.

ACC is ideal for stop and go traffic and rush hour commuting that swings from 60 mph to a canada goose outlet standstill. Adaptive cruise control as of 2013 ranges from $2,500 at the high end to as canada goose outlet uk little as $500. Less costly ACC only works at speeds of 20 or 25 mph and up, but it markedly cheaper.

Expect to pay $2,000 $2,500 for full uk canada goose outlet range canada goose coats adaptive cruse control, but the price is coming down. The first ACC systems were about $2,800 five years ago.

Adaptive cruise controlis also calledactive cruise control,autonomous cruise control, intelligent canada goose store cruise control,orradar cruise control. This is the case because distance is measured by a small radar unit behind the canada goose outlet black friday front grille or under the bumper. Some units employ a laser, while Subaru uses an optical canada https://www.mild-und-leise.de goose black friday sale system based on Canada Goose online stereoscopic cameras. Regardless of the technology, ACC works day and night, but its abilities are hampered by heavy rain, fog, or snow.

ACC is a crucial part of canada canada goose clearance goose black friday sale the self driving cars of the near future. On an autonomous driving car, ACC needs to track the car in front but also cars in adjacent lens in case a lane change becomes necessary.

Adaptive cruise control is typically paired with forward collision warning that functions even if you official canada goose outlet don have ACC engaged. When ACC is engaged, the car will typically slow under ACC braking at up to half its maximum braking potential. (Beyond that, driver and passenger discomfort with automated braking sets in.) Red lights flash at the driver (as with theFord Taurus pictured above), the words or canada goose outlet jackets Now! show on the instrument panel or head up display, and a loud chime sounds. When ACC isn engaged, it still tracking traffic in front and intervenes with the warnings if it senses a potential accident.

Using ACCTo use adaptive cruise control, you start the same as canada goose uk canada goose outlet reviews you would with standard cruise control. The driver turns ACC on, accelerates to the desired speed, then presses the button. It then possible to tweak the and buttons to raise or lower the speed, typically canada goose outlet toronto factory by in 1 or 5 mph increments. Lastly, the driver can set the desired gap behind the next car, most commonly by pressing a button to cycle among short, medium, and long following distances. Some automakers show icons with 1, 2 or 3 distance bars between two vehicle icons. Others, such as Merecedes Benz, show the following distance in feet, though it really in seconds of following gap translated to feet for example, 200 feet of following distance at 60 mph (88 feet per second) is about 3 seconds.

An indicator in the instrument panel or head up display shows a car icon and often what looks like converging at infinity lines, indicating the roadway. When radar detects a car ahead, a second canada goose outlet car icon appears or the lone car icon changes color.

When you just starting out in a newly acquired car with ACC, start with the longest following distance. If you set the closest following distance, you get nervous if the following distance seems to get dangerously close and you not sure if ACC is actually working. Most likely it is working and the driver may have lightly brushed the brake pedal, didn realize it, and now ACC is available but not engaged.