"If you decide you want to brake, and the engine is at wide-open throttle, the ECU tells the engine, 'No, we don't want to go fast; we want to stop,' " David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research, told us. "And the vehicle stops."
Since an overwhelming percentage of new vehicles already employ electronic throttle control, the technology would be easy for automakers to add at minimal cost. Toyota reportedly began incorporating BTO to its vehicles in 2010 by adding new software code as a running change.
"From what we've seen, it's very simple," David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Division, said. "We don't know of any new car that doesn't have an electronic throttle. We haven't seen one of the old throttle cables in a long time." The BTO fix would solve problems caused by sticky accelerators or trapped floormats, but it would be unable to address the issue of a driver who mistakenly depresses the accelerator instead of the brake. Drivers must hit the brake pedal to make it work, experts said.
Not everyone is happy with the idea. Race drivers, who occasionally hit the brake and gas pedals simultaneously, foresee a problem. What's more, some industry analysts see the mandate as yet another form of inappropriate government intervention.
Still, analysts said that automakers are likely to accept the mandate, not only because it prevents unintended acceleration, but because it provides a layer of legal protection for the industry. "It makes sense all around," Champion said. "We can't find a downside to it."
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It's not really the EGR valve, but it is part of the emissions controls system. After you romp on the gas, or after a long run on the highway the system will hold the idle high for a few seconds to help cool down the catalytic. Back in the days of carburetors there used to be a whole host of valves and solenoids to control coasting, so at least this part of the system has gotten a little simpler.
Actually, Charles, the culprit in this case was the EGR valve on a 1980 Buick Century. I've known more than one person who bypassed the thing when their cars got old enough to be able to avoid the annual inspections.
As a matter of fact, I have had a throttle control motor freeze on me, or at least, it stopped controlling and left me at a 70+ MPH "idle". I was able to control the car with the brakes, even though it was a "360" engine. The vehicle was a developmental one, and the control motor assembly was made by a company in Goshen, Indianna. The gearbox locking problem came from a case of pitch-line runout in the gear trains. If I could figure that out, why couldn't anybody else spot the problem?
Those cars did have regular ignition system switches so the racing engine could always be switched off. Nobody would have driven them if that had been under computer control.
The only safe electrical throttle controller that I have seen used a PWM driven solenoid to open the throttle valve, and if the power was switched off, the throttle would snap shut. The designers of that package even used redundant springs to assure that the throttle would close. So reloiable control is possible, but not cheap.
I like the idea of a kill switch. Last weekend my daughter rented a Toyota and the accelerator seem somewhat strange in that below 60 mph it seem to have somewhat of a mind of its own. At times, it felt was speeding up then all of a sudden slow down. Kind of a strange feeling.
William K: Although I'm sure you're joking about a twist-throttle, please note that motorcycles have had a handlebar-mounted engine kill-switch for longer than I've been riding (40-plus years). It's not a bad idea to add one to autos. I'm now teaching my teenager to drive, and I'd LOVE to have one!
As mentioned by others, this should not simply ask the computer to stop the engine, it should directly stop the ignition and/or the fuel feed. How well do you think the NHTSA-proposed system will work if the throttle-control motor becomes seized (yeah, that'll never happen), or if the computer gets a hair across its electronic tuchus?
Jack, I remember well what you've described here. I had a 1977 Olds Cutlass with the same problem. The problem was the catalytic converter in its early years. Until the vehicle was warmed up, it would balk whenever I stepped on the accelerator. It made for some very exciting turns into oncoming traffic.
I sure hope you are right that there is a method of turning it off. There are times during maintenance when I will intentionally have one foot on the accelerator and another on the brake. In addition, years ago my parents' car (1980 Buick Century) had some problem where the engine would die if you didn't keep giving it gas. When you stopped at an intersection, you had to keep giving it gas. (The problem was finally determined to be caused by a failure with some useless government mandated equipment on the car.)
THis relates to the comment about the big red emergency stop buttons on machines: not only are they a dedicated stop system, but in addition, for all of my controls engineering career, there was a rule that they had to work in spite of any failure of the controls logic. To clarify that, it means that the stop function must have priority above all other functions. OF course, that can be quite inconvenient and even messy, which is why most machines also have "stop" buttons that are not "emergency stop" buttons. MOst of those machines are much less dangerous than cars, so why not assure that there is a means available to shut off a car?
On the other hand, for those drivers unable to differentiate between an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, perhaps they could be fitted with a twist-grip throttle like a motorcycle has. That might help them remember the difference. Of course, the most effective method would be to remove their driving privaleges permanently the first time that mistake results in an accident. That penalty could help folks pay closer attention to what theyare doing while at the wheel.
Regarding the effect of BTO on race driving, Toyota has sent us this: "If the brake is pressed first, followed by the accel pedal, BTO does not engage. This allows for hill starts...Also, for those double-footed drivers, BTO won't engage because the system can differentiate between intentional accel pedal input and a stuck pedal. If the APPS detects accel pedal movement, it assumes the pedal is not stuck and the driver is intentionally pressing both pedals."
Tesla Motors plans to roll out a “compelling, affordable electric car” that will sell for about half the price of its high-profile Model S by the end of 2016, company chairman Elon Musk said last week.
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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