What is Hill Descent Control (HDC), System?

What is a hill-descent control (HDC), system? What is the Hill Descent Control System?

What is Hill Descent Control (HDC), System?

Bosch, a German technology giant, developed the system. The first Land Rover Freelander model, which was a compact all-terrain vehicle, featured the system. The system was quickly adopted by many off-road-oriented offroad vehicles and is now widely used in SUVs and crossovers.

The anti-lockbraking system (ABS), when activated, monitors the speed at which the wheels rotate and controls the vehicle’s speed as it descends a slope. Driving off-road can make it difficult to control the vehicle, especially on slippery, sandy, snowy, or wet roads. Hill descent control allows you to safely go downhill without having to apply the brakes. To control vehicle speed, the brake lights turn on automatically when you apply the brakes.

Cruise control systems in many vehicles can not maintain constant speed downhill. In these cases, the vehicle may accelerate unassisted. The HDC system activates the brakes automatically and maintains a steady, safe speed. The system will temporarily be disabled if the accelerator or brake pedal are depressed while it is active. It will reactivate as soon as you release the accelerator pedal or brake pedal and, depending on the operating conditions, control the vehicle.

Hill descent control activates automatically in some vehicles. In others, you just need to press a button. To function, the system relies on the ABS system. An ABS system failure can adversely impact the operation of HDC.