Traction Control System (TCS)
A traction control system (TCS) limits excessive slip at the driven wheels during acceleration. It is especially useful when starting or accelerating on wet, icy, loose, or uneven surfaces, where one or more tires can lose grip before the others.
What it does
TCS uses wheel-speed information to identify a driven wheel that is spinning faster than the vehicle’s motion would justify. It can then reduce motor torque, brake the slipping wheel, or combine both actions until useful traction returns. In an electric vehicle, the power electronics can respond quickly to a request for less drive torque.
Traction control does not create additional tire grip, and it cannot guarantee acceleration on a very slippery surface. It primarily manages wheelspin under power. Electronic stability control has a broader purpose: it compares the intended and actual vehicle path and may intervene at individual wheels to counter understeer or oversteer.
For the shared sensors, brake control, and stability functions, see electronic stability control technology.