Cadillac Escalade IQ Will Get Hands-Free, Eyes-Off Driving Tech

• General Motors has announced Super Cruise will move to Level 3 by 2028.
• The company also announced a new centralized computing platform to power the upgrade.
• Level 3 is a big leap toward full autonomy.

But what is the difference between Level 2 and Level 3 autonomy? The Society of Automotive Engineers defines Level 2 as, essentially, a car that can keep a constant speed or manage a gap to the car in front and keep the car in the center of the lane at the same time. The catch is that you must be watching the road the whole time. 

Level 3 is a big step toward full autonomy. You, as the driver, are no longer required to keep your eyes on the road while the system is engaged. In fact, you're technically not driving at all while the system is engaged. That means you can play Wordle or read a book, but you can't doze off. If the system prompts you to, you must be ready to take over control of the vehicle. But if the right conditions are met, there's nothing you, as the driver, have to do. 

We already like Super Cruise, and we've gone as far as calling it one of the best eyes-on, hands-free systems on the market right now. Part of that is down to the 600,000-plus miles General Motors has mapped, which enables the system to work in a huge variety of places in the contiguous United States. The move to Level 3 will be a big one for GM, but we'll have to wait a while to see it in practice.