Electric Side Steps Explained: Anti-Pinch Sensors & Benefits

A metal plate hidden at the edge of the chassis quietly slides out when the door opens, solving the problem of getting on and off the high-chassis vehicle. Behind this is a system revolution that combines mechanical precision and electronic intelligence.

In the early morning, a mother walked towards a tall SUV with her child. The moment the door opened, the side pedal slid out elegantly, and the child stepped up easily. As night fell, the LED lights on the edge of the pedals automatically lit up, illuminating the road under their feet. On the off-road, the side pedals on the bumpy gravel road remain folded to avoid collisions with obstacles.

Electric side pedals have evolved from simple conveniences to an important part of the intelligent car interaction system. It solves the pain point of inconvenience in getting on and off high-chassis vehicles, and through the deep integration of sensor networks and control logic, it pushes safety and scenario-based services to a new level.

Technological evolution: from fixed pedals to intelligent electric systems

Early vehicle side pedal designs mainly served off-road vehicles and trucks, which have higher chassis, and fixed pedals help passengers lower their boarding height. As the SUV and high-end passenger car markets expand, fixed pedals have become increasingly problematic: increased wind resistance, reduced trafficability, easy to scratch trouser legs, and unable to adapt to complex road conditions.

The emergence of electric side pedals marks a technological watershed. In the early 2010s, electric drive combined with hidden design, the pedals can be automatically retracted, solving the pain points of fixed pedals.

In 2022, Great Wall Motors first proposed the “roof mode” in a patent. When the user washes the roof or places luggage on the roof, the system can keep the pedals in a continuously unfolded state, and they will not automatically retract even when the door is closed.

The electric side pedal market is experiencing explosive growth. The global market size will reach US$1.77 billion in 2023, and is expected to grow to US$8.1 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 18.41%. Passenger cars dominate the market (more than 50% share), followed by SUVs and crossovers (25%), and the demand for pickup trucks is also rising rapidly.

Technical principle: Intelligent mechanical art of three-system collaboration

The electric side pedal system consists of three core subsystems: drive system, control unit and sensor network. The drive system is usually powered by a 12V or 24V vehicle power supply, and consists of a motor, a reduction gear set and a four-bar linkage to achieve smooth extension and contraction of the pedal.

The control unit is the brain of the system. The body control module (BCM) receives signals from various sensors, obtains data such as vehicle speed, gear position, terrain mode, etc. through the CAN bus, and makes real-time decisions on the pedal status. Land Rover’s system forces the pedal to be retracted when the vehicle speed exceeds 5 km/h to ensure driving safety.

The sensor network constitutes the perceptual nerve of the system:

Door switch sensor: the primary signal source that triggers the pedal to unfold
Anti-pinch force sensor: real-time monitoring of motor torque changes, automatic reverse movement when encountering resistance
Light sensor: linked to LED lighting, automatically illuminated when the environment is dim
Lifting point pressure sensor (high-end models): detect maintenance lifting status

The intelligence of control logic is the biggest breakthrough in recent years. Great Wall Motors’ patent shows that the system can automatically disable the pedal according to the terrain feedback signal: when the vehicle enters mud, sand or low-speed four-wheel drive mode, the pedal is automatically locked in the retracted position to avoid damage during off-road driving.

Safety design: multi-dimensional protection mechanism

Speed linkage mechanism is the basic safety barrier. Almost all electric pedals set a speed threshold (usually 5 km/h) and are forced to retract when speeding. Land Rover specifically warned in the system description: “Stepping on the pedal while moving may trigger anti-pinch reversal, causing unexpected risks.”

The anti-pinch function is achieved through a dual mechanism:

Current monitoring: Automatically stops and reverses when the motor torque increases abnormally
Infrared/capacitive sensing: Detects obstacles in the edge area of the pedal When an obstacle is detected, the pedal first moves in the opposite direction for 5-10 cm, pauses and tries to retract again, and stops completely and sounds an audible and visual alarm after three failures.

The “Maintenance Mode” introduced by Great Wall’s patent in 2025 solves the industry’s pain points. Traditional systems automatically retract the pedal when the car is locked for maintenance, which is easy to collide with the lift. In maintenance mode, even if a locking signal is received, the pedal remains in the unfolded state, and the system detects the data of the lifting point pressure sensor to ensure maintenance safety.

Night safety is enhanced by lighting. Brands such as Jacques Hausen integrate LED light strips on the inside of the pedal, and the light sensor automatically lights up when the ambient illumination is less than 50lux, providing both lighting and enhancing vehicle recognition.

Scenario application: Modular control logic

The control logic of the electric side pedal has developed a multi-scenario mode library:

Standard mode: Open the door to expand, close the door to retract (action 5 seconds after all doors are closed)
Roof mode: Activated after the electronic parking start, the pedal continues to expand for roof operations
City mode: Automatically retract when locked, automatically expand when unlocked
وضع الطرق الوعرة: Automatically disable the expansion function in sandy/mud terrain

Personalized control has become a new trend. Some systems support “single-side trigger” logic, which only opens the pedal on the door side to expand, reducing unnecessary mechanical movement. Users can customize settings through the on-board screen menu or mobile phone APP: adjust the lighting color, set a delayed retraction time, and even adjust the expansion height according to height (high-end models).

There are special solutions for car washing scenarios. Land Rover manual explains: “Roof entry mode allows the vehicle to pass through the car wash at 5 km/h, and the pedal remains expanded to facilitate cleaning of the chassis.”

Technical challenges and evolution direction

Durability is still the core challenge. The pedal system is exposed to dust, rain and road salt spray, which places strict requirements on the motor and transmission mechanism. Leading manufacturers use IP67 protection grade housing, self-lubricating bearings for transmission parts, and powder metallurgy steel for reduction gears.

Balancing lightness and strength is a challenge in materials science. The mainstream uses aluminum alloy brackets (30% weight reduction), and high-end models try carbon fiber composite materials (50% weight reduction, 3 times the cost). AMP Research’s test shows that the optimized four-bar linkage can withstand 200 kg of impact without deformation.

Future technology evolution focuses on three points:

Energy innovation: Develop magnetic resistance motors to reduce energy consumption and use kinetic energy recovery to power LEDs
التكامل الذكي: Linked with the ADAS system, the pedals are automatically retracted when blind spot monitoring is triggered
Structural innovation: Retractable segmented design, adjust the pedal length as needed

Market prospects and ecological value

The global electric side step market shows regional differentiated demand: North America is dominated by pickup truck modification (accounting for 40% of demand), Europe prefers original integrated design, and SUVs in the Asia-Pacific region drive the aftermarket explosion. China’s market size is growing faster than ever, with a compound growth rate of 21.3% expected from 2024 to 2031.

Consumer value perception has changed. Market research shows:

72% of buyers are primarily concerned with “safety of getting on and off the car for the elderly and children”
68% attach importance to “nighttime lighting assistance function”
45% list “car wash mode” as a decision factor

Environmental benefits are taken into consideration in design. The power consumption of the new motor has been reduced from 15W in the early stage to 5W, which is equivalent to consuming only 1 kWh of electricity for 200 hours of continuous work. The recycling rate of aluminum alloy materials has reached 90%, which reduces the carbon footprint by 60% compared with traditional stainless steel.

The electric side pedal has developed from a simple mechanical structure to an intelligent system deeply integrated into the automotive electronic architecture. Its core value lies in solving the usability contradiction of high-chassis models through precise mechatronic design – it not only retains the advantage of high passability, but also provides low-threshold convenience.

With the advancement of material science and the optimization of control algorithms, the next generation of products will be lighter and smarter. When the millimeter-wave radar is directly connected to the pedal control system, the side pedal will be able to predict the intention to open the door and unfold it in advance; when biometric technology is introduced, the system can automatically adjust the height according to the user’s height. These evolutions point to the same goal: to make the car actively adapt to people, rather than people passively adapt to machines.

This metal plate that bears the weight of the body ultimately carries the evolution of the relationship between people and cars from functional obedience to intelligent collaboration.