Ford is lowering the price of BlueCruise’s hands-free driving feature

In response to customer and dealer feedback, Ford is lowering each the monthly and annual cost of its hands-free driver assistance feature, BlueCruise, for brand new and existing owners, TechCrunch reports.

Car manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it would now charge $49.99 a month or $495 a 12 months for BlueCruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel on pre-designated highways across the United States. This is down from the previous price of $75 per 30 days or $800 per 12 months.

Ford is also now offering a “one-time purchase” option for BlueCruise. Buyers should buy the BlueCruise for $2,495 when ordering the vehicle recent, and Ford guarantees it would last for no less than seven years. The company says owners won’t must pay one other cent after seven years “if the service is available.” Owners cannot transfer their BlueCruise subscription to a different vehicle.

The price drop comes as BlueCruise is currently under federal investigation following two fatal crashes that occurred earlier this 12 months while the feature was lively. The driver involved in a single of these accidents was recently charged with manslaughter under the influence of alcohol.

Announced in 2021, BlueCruise uses a camera-based driver monitoring system to examine whether drivers are watching the road when the system is lively. The company wouldn’t disclose what percentage of owners activated this feature. Ford’s price change to BlueCruise also comes a day after the company switched announced offers a free home charger and installation coverage to extend the adoption of electric vehicles.