Trimble, GM Mark 34M Hands-Free Road Miles
October 26, 2022
General Motors and Trimble have announced they have achieved more than 34 million miles driven with its Super Cruise technology on GM vehicles. The automaker teamed with Trimble to develop “a reliable way to maintain in-lane positioning for hands-free driving, putting safety top-of-mind.”
Trimble said its precise GPS technology enables a vehicle to maintain its lane position in several environments, including inclement weather conditions such as rain, snow, fog and more, which can often challenge other sensors. The GM Super Cruise, which the company said is the world’s first true hands-free driver assistance system, uses Trimble RTX (Real-Time eXtended) technology to deliver high-GNSS accuracy corrections. The technology was introduced in 2017 on the model year 2018 Cadillac CT6, GM said.
“Trimble RTX has been in commercial use for more than 10 years and in 2018 was the first precise point positioning correction service to log miles in a commercial autonomous driving system,” said Patricia Boothe, senior vice president of autonomy at Trimble. “It works with Super Cruise to help a vehicle maintain its lane position, bringing more consumers access to a more enjoyable and convenient driving experience.”
Trimble said standard GPS signals can have a margin of error of up to 25 feet, which is not suitable for vehicles that require precise absolute position information in order to maintain lane-level positioning. The company said the RTX technology removes errors in GNSS satellite data broadcasts to improve location accuracy on the roadways.
“Super Cruise is a life-changing technology, allowing customers to experience hands-free driving on compatible, mapped roads nationwide,” said Mario Maiorana, GM’s chief engineer for Super Cruise. “The technology is a collaborative effort internally and externally to bring this advanced driver assistance technology to life. Trimble Autonomy has been a valuable collaborator in bringing Super Cruise to our customers.”
For more details on Super Cruise, visit the GM website here.
