Hill Descent Control: How does this system work?
Hill Descent Control (HDC) is a hill descent assistant that makes it possible to drive the car down a steep hill without any interference from the driver.
The Hill Descent Control system is activated by simply pressing a button, after which a green indicator light shows the car descending, and a tachometer lights up on the dashboard.
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How does Hill Descent Control work?
When this system is activated, the brake lights come on, the vehicle starts to descend, and the ABS controls the speed of each wheel. The driver of a vehicle equipped with the HDC system does not have to constantly brake the car by pressing the brake pedal when driving down a steep hill.
It is enough to choose the desired speed by pressing the buttons on the steering wheel from 7 km/h to 30 km/h for manual transmissions and from 4 km/h to 30 km/h for automatic transmissions. A flashing HDC light indicates the system is active and maintains a preselected speed.
How to turn off the hill descent assistant?
The driver can accelerate or decelerate the vehicle at any time, thus overcoming the HDC system by pressing the gas or brake pedal. In this case, the warning light of the hill descent assistant stops flashing and starts to light continuously, which means that the system is in standby mode (standby mode) but does not intervene.
Car Dashboard Symbols: What do they warn about?
The same situation occurs if the driver increases the vehicle's speed above 30 km/h. If the vehicle accelerates above a pre-selected speed without driver input, the system automatically applies the brakes to slow the car down to the desired speed. However, the hill descent assistant is automatically deactivated if the car's speed exceeds 50 km/h.
Summary
The hill descent assistant is a useful helper on steep slopes and hills because, after its activation, the driver cannot use the brake pedal and can fully focus on driving the car.