Jeep's Active Assistant technology currently offers Level 2 autonomous driving, the most advanced and consistently available self-driving tech across all 2021 and 2022 Jeep Cherokees.

Self-driving cars are here… well, almost. While manufacturers rush to deliver the first fully self-driving car, most have rolled out lower levels of autonomous driving technology.

What was once an extremely competitive and ambitious industry—seemingly dominated by Tesla alone—autonomous vehicle technology is on the rise. Since its acquisition by Stellantis in 2021, even Jeep has made a surprising splash in the world of self-driving vehicle technology. In fact, in the latter half of 2022, Jeep will also debut its Level 3 self-driving technology and work toward standardizing its Level 2 features.

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It’s anyone’s game now, and Jeep’s here to play! Read on as

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All about self-driving cars

Does Jeep have a self-driving car?

Jeep does not have a fully self-driving car yet, but the technology is close.

In 2021, the American SUV marque announced the development of its all-new

Hands-Free Active Driving Assist

technology, which will become available for all 2022 Grand Cherokee models. As an answer to GM’s Super Cruise, Jeep’s semi-autonomous driving system aims to combine safety and security with cutting-edge tech.

The Level 3 autonomous features are set to debut in Summer 2022 and will automate tasks on select highways. But for now, Jeep boasts over 110 standard and optional Active Driving Assist features, which offer autonomous driving capabilities up to Level 2.

Let’s check out a few of the highlights of the Level 2 advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS):

Lane departure warning with lane-keep assistance: Detects lane drifting and will automatically alert the driver and help correct the vehicle’s course.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection: Uses radar to detect and warn the driver of vehicles existing in blind spots or moving into the vehicle’s path.

Adaptive cruise control: Automatically adjusts speed so the vehicle maintains a consistent following distance from the car in front of it.

Full-speed forward collision warning with active braking: Alerts the driver when it senses a potential frontal impact. If the driver doesn’t respond to the warning, it will automatically engage the brakes.

MotorTrend

explains, Jeep’s ADAS technologies are much more sophisticated than your standard adaptive cruise control—owing to a robust compilation of sensors, cameras, radar units, and deep learning algorithms. But that doesn’t mean the car can fully drive on its own.

Jeep’s current ADAS requires drivers to remain alert. The steering wheel, for example, uses capacitive touch technology,which can sense the electrical properties of the human body (like a touchscreen). If the driver takes their hands off the wheel for too long, the system runs through a series of alerts and will eventually park itself if the driver doesn’t respond.

Just because a car is equipped with sophisticated tech and semi-autonomous features, however, doesn’t mean it can safely drive without human attention and input. As

Car and Driver

pointed out, many driver-assistance systems take a notoriously long time to respond to driver inactivity, potentially encouraging misuse and reckless driving behaviors.

The jury is still out on whether Jeep and other manufacturers will be able to effectively address these loopholes in the near term. Without safety, there’s limited consumer interest. On the other hand, without consumer interest and involvement, there are limited opportunities to assess and address potential safety concerns.

Key Takeaway All models across the Jeep lineup have standard or available Level 2 Active Driving Assist technology.

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How do self-driving cars work?

When you think of self-driving cars, your mind may wander to the fully autonomous vehicles of Hollywood movies and sci-fi literature, effortlessly shuttling humans from place to place without any assistance. But the autonomous vehicle technology of today is muchmore complex.

In reality, self-driving cars require an integrative network of sensors like cameras, radar, and LiDAR to gather data from the surrounding environment in conjunction with sophisticated software and AI to process, predict, and adapt to live road conditions. The system sends instructions to the vehicle’s actuators, allowing the vehicle to steer, brake, and accelerate without a human having to manually perform these tasks.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defines six levels of autonomous vehicles (AVS) as follows:

Level 0: No automation. The human driver fully controls driving tasks at all times.

Level 1: Driver assistance. Driver assistance technology handles one driving task (steering, acceleration, or braking) at a time, while the human must maintain control of everything else.

Level 2: Partial automation. The vehicle can perform two automated tasks at once, but the driver has to stay alert and engaged (Jeeps have Level 2 autonomy standard or as an option).

Level 3: Conditional automation. The car can drive itself under specific conditions, but the driver has to be ready to take back control (available as hands-free ADA on 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokees).

Level 4:High automation. The car can drive itself in a specific set of conditions without human intervention.

Level 5: Full automation. The car can drive on its own in all conditions without needing human intervention.

Self-driving cars with Level 5 automation are still very much the cars of the future. What’s more, many experts caution that fully autonomous cars

will not necessarily prevent accidents

on U.S. roads and highways.

MORE:

How self-driving cars will affect car insurance rates

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The best Jeeps with self-driving technology

Jeep is breaking ground in the self-driving tech sector—in particular, the

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee

offers the most safety and advanced technology features in the full-size SUV segment. This model year offers two safety and driver assistance packages: ProTech I and ProTech II. Let’s take a look at what each one offers.

ProTech I comes standard on all Grand Cherokee models and includes:

Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-path detection alerts you to unseen obstacles around your vehicle and cross-traffic while you’re reversing

Rear park assist uses sensors to monitor your proximity to other vehicles and objects while parking

Rear backup camera with dynamic gridlines that help you gauge distance throughout the parking process

ProTech II is further split into two levels. Level 1 of the ProTech II package is available on Laredo and Laredo X trims and offers all of the ProTech I features, plus:

Advanced Brake Assist—can sense when the driver quickly depresses the brake pedal and will add extra braking power to help stop the car in the shortest distance possible

LaneSense Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist—will alert the driver if their vehicle drifts from the lane and will deliver subtle course correction via auto-steering

Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking—determines if a frontal impact with another vehicle seems imminent and will warn the driver; if the driver doesn’t take action, the active braking system will apply the brakes to reduce the risk of a crash

Level 2 of the ProTech II package comes standard on the High Altitude, Summit, SRT, and Trackhawk trim levels and is available on the Limited, Trailhawk, and Overland trims. The second level of ProTech II includes all of ProTech I’s features and the first-level features of ProTech II, plus:

Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking—uses radar to measure the vehicle’s speed as it approaches the car stopped ahead; if it senses an imminent collision, it will alert the driver, and if the driver doesn’t respond, the system will automatically brake

Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go—allows the driver to pre-select a following distance, which also automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed; if traffic ahead comes to a full stop or picks up, the vehicle auto-adjusts with full-stop braking or acceleration

Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist—has ultrasonic bumper sensors with a guidance system that auto-steers while the driver controls the gear position, brake, and accelerator

Rain Sensing Windshield Wipers—can detect moisture on the windshield and automatically activate windshield wipers

It’s safe to say the Grand Cherokee is the golden child of Jeep’s self-driving car lineup. And although none of their models are fully self-driving, there’s a nice set of driver-assistance features that can help fight road fatigue and respond in dangerous situations.

Plus, with Level 3 tech right around the corner, the best is yet to come.

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