Many cars and utility vehicles, and not necessarily luxury ones, can feature a form or another of intelligent cruise control. Using various radar and camera technologies, an intelligent cruise control can be very useful on a daily basis for both comfort and safety.
Porsche has taken driving assistance to the next level with their InnoDrive system. Their technology is the predictive type with semi-autonomous functions. So far, it’s essentially like the others. Its trick is that it uses the knowledge gained from its ability to scan the road ahead, up to three kilometres, and formulate the most efficient balance of speed with braking and accelerating.
More specifically, it scans speed limits and topographical road features, such as gradients or corner radii, according to your planned route before you get to the them. With this information, the system modifies transmission shifting patterns, and speed accordingly.
For example, if there’s a slight incline ahead, InnoDrive will mildly increase approach speed and back off correspondingly once engaged in the climb. This maximize powertrain efficiency and avoid sudden burst of acceleration. The technology also includes Traffic Jam Assist which provides steering wheel, braking and acceleration inputs in a semi-autonomous way.
