Electronic handbrake and notes when using electronic handbrake

1. What is an electronic handbrake?

The electronic handbrake is also known as the electronic parking brake. This is a type of smart handbrake that is fully automatically controlled. The location of the brake is easy to recognize: the brake is marked with the letter P in a circle located near the gear lever area or on the dashboard of the car. This device was created with the purpose of ensuring the safety of life and property for the user in case the driver forgets to lower or double the handbrake.

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2. How does the electronic handbrake work?

According to the operating principle, the electronic handbrake uses an electric motor to brake and release the brake through a P-shaped lever located at the gear lever position.

In case the gear lever is in another position, if you want to use the handbrake, the driver needs to step on the foot brake, then press the P button for the handbrake system to start working.

When wanting to release the electronic handbrake, the driver needs to step on the brake pedal, then press the control lever marked P. Immediately, the handbrake warning light will turn off, indicating that the handbrake has been released. This action helps the driver avoid the car rolling downhill, due to releasing the handbrake but forgetting to step on the footbrake.

The electronic handbrake can be automatically unlocked when the driver shifts into forward or reverse gear and presses the accelerator pedal. Therefore, in case the driver forgets to release the handbrake and still lets the car move, the system will automatically unlock to avoid brake lock, brake burnout as well as protect the transmission system.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of electronic handbrake

- The electronic brake is popular because it only takes a few basic button presses to activate the two small motors that hold the rear brake. The system will also not automatically release if the driver is not wearing a seat belt or one of the car's doors is not closed properly.

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- Helps the car interior space become more luxurious and modern.

- Can automatically deactivate when the vehicle is running, with the ability to automatically hold the brake (Brake Hold) when stopping on a slope.

- Limits the dangers when the driver forgets to use the handbrake, protecting the vehicle's transmission system. When moving on a slope, this system will support stopping or starting better, avoiding slipping down the slope.

- Eliminates the problem of handbrake jamming and brake lockup when the vehicle is not regularly maintained.

- However, electronic brakes have a short lifespan and are costly to repair if damaged. In addition, when the car battery dies, the electronic handbrake cannot function.

4. Some notes when using the electronic handbrake

To use the electronic handbrake more effectively and durably, drivers need to pay attention to the following issues:

- Do not move the vehicle while the brake warning light is still on. Even though the electronic handbrake system can automatically switch to Unlock mode, doing this repeatedly will cause the brake system and transmission brake to quickly fail.

- If there is a strange noise, a lot of vibration in the brake pedal... in the brake system, it is also a normal problem. The electronic handbrake has fewer errors than the traditional handbrake. In case of an error, the system will react and warn the driver in a very short time.

- Currently, many high-end car lines also add Auto Hold technology, automatically applying the parking brake when stopping and deactivating when the driver operates.

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