# EV Throttles



## Bugzuki (Jan 15, 2008)

There are no requirements for throttle position. You would probably needed to have the throttle lever spring loaded with a latch/release. This way when you pushed the brake the throttle would spring back to rest position. If you just ignored the position while the brake was on it would try and excellerate imidiately when you let up on the brake. 

That would be kind of cool, kind of like cruise control in a way too.


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## Twilly (Jan 22, 2008)

You could have 2 5k throttles, one connected to the pedal, and one as you suggested. Wire a latching relay into the 2 pot circuits so when you press " the red button" the aircraft pot takes control, but as soon as you hit the brakes, the relay unlatches and puts control back to the pedal... Kinda like cruise control


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## MitchJi (Dec 14, 2007)

Hi,

The following are three posts at on hand throttles (in a thread on aerodynamics):
http://forum.ecomodder.com/index.php

It's a mod that enables a more efficient driving technique.

When you get fuel consumption instrumentation in your car, one of the very first things you notice is the relatively BIG jumps in fuel consumption from incremental changes to the accelerator position. Changes that are literally imperceptible to the butt-o-meter will show up on an instant fuel consumption display.

The hand control permits much finer adjustment of the throttle once up to cruising speed. It may also be more comfortable to use than feathering the throttle by foot for long periods.
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MetroMPG answered much of my reasoning for the hand accelerator (fine tuning of the throttle position, particularly useful for good FE at the lower speeds when your throttle position is just running just slightly above idle). Also, unlike normal cruise controllers, the hand throttle is a DWL (driving with load) cruise controller, not a constant speed cruise controller.

The hand accelerator is set up the same as the one on my John Deere tractor (the hand control sets a lower throttle position that can be overidden by pressing on the foot accelerator. The hand throttle only goes from zero to slightly above half throttle and I have trained my reflexes to automatically pull back on the hand throttle whenever I push down the clutch pedal. On the rare occasions when I do forget to pull back on the hand throttle when I push down the clutch, the engine just revs up and reminds me I need to pull back on the hand throttle.
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Overridding the DWL hand throttle with the foot throttle is simple and functions identically to the way it does on a tractor. The hand throttle sets a lower limit for the throttle while the foot throttle can override it to force a higher throttle level if you need to pass or maintain speed on a hill. Mechanically, the hand throttle is a simple pushrod that presses against a metal plate screwed onto the accelerator pedal. 

Making the brake and clutch turn off the throttle would be more difficult, as you would have to pick the signals off the brake light circuit and the clutch travel switch and use them to energize a solenoid that would disengage the throttle cable. This would be tricky to do.

Best Wishes 

Mitch


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

But electronically you don't need a solenoid just a relay and since the throttle input is just a signal circuit (low amps) anyway you can get a reasonable cheap one. This would be a really good novelty feature plus it would have a practical benifit of increasing your range through more efficient driving (capability). Now all you need to do is find an aeroplane scrap-yard...


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## MitchJi (Dec 14, 2007)

Hi,

I know that implementing this on an EV will be different than on an ICE. 

The reason I posted it is that it seems like it might be an easy way to increase range and might provide a nicer driving experience as well.

Best Wishes,

Mitch


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## Pb Cruiser (Oct 29, 2007)

While we're on the subject of throttles, should the main contactor open up when the brakes are applied? It may be a fundamental question that hasn't been answered. I plan to have mine energized continually as I'm driving only to de-energize it when turn the car "off". I will have a high pedal safety switch but is it safer to open the contactor circuit when braking?


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## Twilly (Jan 22, 2008)

I believe the contactor is only to disconnect power to the controller when not in use ( the by-pass resistor keeps power to the memory ) or in an emergecy.


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## Greenflight (Sep 13, 2007)

That is the purpose of the contactor. Some Curtis controllers are wired so that they open the contactor whenever you take your foot off the gas. I don't really like this setup though, just because it's a lot of wear and tear on the contactor, and doesn't really seem necessary.


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