Because almost everyone aspires to lessen or completely eliminate the harmful substances gasoline-powered vehicles emit, electric vehicles interest the public. This powerful vehicle has the capability to surpass the performance of conventional vehicles if a proper battery is incorporated. In this article, we are going to discuss the controller of electric vehicles (EVs).
The controller is somewhat of a “middleman,” as it ensures balance and proper flow of energy within an EV. It also serves as the “brain,” as it figures out how much energy is needed by the vehicle to go smoothly on the road. When you open the hood, you’ll notice how huge the controller is; it dominates the entire area. The controller has heavy wires that are connected to the batteries and motor.
Your accelerator pedal is connected to a pair of potentiometers. A potentiometer, commonly referred to as “pot,” is connected to the controller to send a signal as to how much energy is needed by the driver. If the driver steps on the pedal until it reaches the floor, then it requires maximum power. There are two pots connected to the accelerator pedal and both must be balanced to ensure that it will send the appropriate signal to the controller. If one is faulty, the controller has the capability to figure that out, making the EV stop. That is essential because there might be instances wherein the driver needs light energy yet one potentiometer could send the maximum energy signal. If that occurs, then mishaps are most likely to happen. That is where the controller works – ensuring that both potentiometers are correlated, providing the accurate signal to the controller which will be transferred to the motor for power.
The duty of a controller to a direct current (DC) EV is pretty simple. Let’s say for example, an EV has 12 batteries wired together, each has 12 Volts making a total of 144 Volts. The controller receives 144 V and delivers it to the motor in a “controlled” mode. When you drive, you have to step on the accelerator pedal to make it work, and release it whenever you have to stop your vehicle, therefore, somewhat serving as an on/off switch, giving appropriate instruction to the motor. However, an EV does not solely rely on how you step and release the pedal. For a driver, continuously holding and releasing the pedal could really be tiring and could lead to an accident. To help you with such problem, the controller will do the pulsing for you. It will assess how your accelerator pedal works through the potentiometer, and regulate the power for your entire EV accordingly.
For example, you have stepped on your pedal halfway; your controller will then get a signal that your motor must be turned on 50% of the time and turned off 50% of the time. Another clarification is if you have stepped on the pedal for about 30%, the motor will turn on 30% of the time and turn off 70% of the time. Freeing you from constantly needing to guide your vehicle’s motor through the accelerator pedal.
A controller is undoubtedly essential inside the electric vehicle. Without it, other parts of the electric vehicle will not work properly. Owners must always make sure that their controller is in good condition, not just to provide you with maximum vehicle performance but also to safeguard you from probable road accidents.
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