Hill hold is a feature in electric vehicles that helps prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards or forwards when starting from a stopped position on an incline or hill. This feature is particularly useful in situations where the driver needs to temporarily stop the vehicle on a hill, such as at a traffic light or stop sign.
When the driver releases the brake pedal, the hill hold feature engages the electric motor to maintain the vehicle’s position for a few seconds until the driver presses the accelerator pedal. This prevents the vehicle from rolling back or forward while the driver shifts from the brake to the accelerator pedal.
Hill Hold Feature in EV
The motors use in the EVs are highly versatile and the forward and backward torque implementation is possible with controller algorithms. So, the hill hold feature is easy to implement in electric vehicles than IC engine vehicles.
The hill hold feature in electric vehicles is typically controlled by a computer system that uses sensors to detect the vehicle’s position and slope angle. The feature can be turned on or off, depending on the driver’s preference, and is a standard safety feature in many electric vehicles.
In an electric vehicle, the hill hold feature is often part of the regenerative braking system. Regenerative braking is a system that captures the energy that is normally lost when you apply the brakes and uses it to recharge the car’s battery. When the hill hold feature is engaged, the regenerative braking system will apply the brakes just enough to keep the car from rolling backward, but not so much that it drains the battery.
The braking will happen not through the mechanical braking system but through electrical braking system.
To use the hill hold feature in an electric vehicle, you simply need to come to a stop on a hill and press the brake pedal. The hill hold feature will engage automatically, and you can then release the brake pedal and start driving normally. When you press the accelerator pedal, the brakes will automatically disengage, and the car will start moving forward.
Recently, the electric scooter manufacturer Aher Energy introduced hill hold feature in Ather 450X Gen 3 vehicle.