What does the odometer reading on the dashboard mean?
2 Answers
The odometer reading on the dashboard refers to two types of mileage: one is the total mileage of the vehicle, which cannot be reset and is displayed prominently on the dashboard. The other is the trip mileage, which can be reset and is displayed smaller, used to record the vehicle's mileage over a certain period. For example, resetting the trip mileage after maintenance can help track when the next maintenance is due. Principle of the vehicle odometer: The vehicle odometer is a digital display dashboard that operates based on the rotation of an electronic counter drum wheel, which meshes with the worm gear on the speedometer's rotating shaft, causing the drum wheel to rotate. Its advantage is that when the upper drum wheel completes a full rotation, the lower drum wheel rotates 1/10 of a turn. Like the speedometer, modern odometers are also electronic, obtaining mileage data signals from the speed sensor. The accumulated mileage data of an electronic odometer is stored in non-volatile memory, allowing the data to be preserved even when the power is off. Odometer overview: The dashboard displays two odometer readings: one long and one short. The long number represents the total kilometers, which cannot be manually altered and only increases as the vehicle is driven. The short number can be manually reset and is used for counting kilometers, such as the distance from one province to another. There is a control button to reset it to zero and start counting again, which explains the presence of two mileage readings—a very user-friendly feature.
The dashboard speedometer usually refers to the digital display of driving speed, like '60 ma' indicating 60 kilometers per hour. The unit should technically be km/h, but colloquially people call it this way. Driving experience teaches that high speed increases accident risks—keep a close eye and don't exceed limits. Novice drivers should develop the habit of glancing at the dashboard frequently, combining it with road signs to control speed. The odometer records total mileage for maintenance reminders, such as oil changes or inspections every 5,000 km. Overall, monitoring speed is fundamental for enhancing safe driving efficiency.
