🔋 LVC (Low-Voltage Cutoff)
A safety feature that cuts or reduces motor power when the battery drops too low, protecting a LiPo from being over-discharged and damaged.
What it actually does
Low-Voltage Cutoff is the ESC feature that protects a LiPo from being run flat. Taking a lithium cell too low permanently damages it, and unlike a NiMH pack there is no recovering it — so the ESC watches pack voltage and reduces or cuts power before that happens.
In practice
Most ESCs let you set the cutoff per cell and choose between a soft cutoff, which gradually reduces power as a warning, and a hard cutoff, which stops the motor. Soft cutoff is the friendlier choice for bashing because it gives you time to drive back rather than stopping where you stand.
Worth knowing
Set the ESC to the correct battery chemistry before the first run. An ESC configured for NiMH will not apply lithium cutoff at all, and the first you know about it is a ruined pack.