1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Does Prius use "drive by wire" for accelerator pedal?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Chris2128, Apr 1, 2011.

  1. Chris2128

    Chris2128 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    85
    4
    0
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Just want to know your thoughts, if gen III and/or gen II has it or is it just plain hard wire like most cars?
     
  2. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2004
    2,480
    176
    0
    Location:
    Gaithersburg, MD
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Yes, its a drive by wire accelerator setup on both the Gen II and Gen III

    Most cars nowadays have a drive by wire system.
     
  3. 2maples49

    2maples49 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2008
    64
    11
    0
    Location:
    Salem, OR
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    It is not a mechanical cable.

    It is not a radio signal.

    It is an electric signal sent through a physical electrical wire.

    Pretty cool, I think. Thanks, Dan
     
  4. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2005
    29,110
    8,589
    201
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I remember when I was younger and the vette had it because it saved weight, I thought it was cool. Nice to see tech which was once unique making its way to so many more daily drivers.
     
  5. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2004
    2,480
    176
    0
    Location:
    Gaithersburg, MD
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Yep...thats how a drive by wire throttle system works. Been around since the 90s. Commonplace today.
     
  6. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2009
    1,403
    191
    0
    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Yes, I think amost all cars and trucks is gas by wire now.
     
  7. Chris2128

    Chris2128 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    85
    4
    0
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    So that's how the pcs works ! It voids the pedal signal (in danger) and sends signals to the warning system and then brakes eventually. But is it true that someone on pc said it's better to leave the pedal and not apply brakes??
     
  8. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2004
    2,077
    295
    0
    Location:
    Ormond Beach,Fl.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That's how most of the new airliners do it also. For awhile it was thought to have cause a British Airways jet to land short of the runway in London, the pilots pushed the throttles up for more thrust but no action from the engines and plane landed in the grass short of the runway, but I believe it turned out to be an icing problem with one of the sensors in both engines.
     
  9. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Many cars are drive by wire.

    This is probably how Honda Accords get such good highway fuel economy, the possibity of modifying the transmission ratio, valve timing and trottle, independant of the drivers foot, when a period of steady speed driving occurs is possible with drive-by-wire.

    When they had those congresional hearings, they were comparing the GM and the Toyota systems for drive by wire. So, I imagine there are plenty of GM cars that are drive by wire too.

    It wont be long before your comment "like most cars" will be wrong, if its not already....
     
    1 person likes this.
  10. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,122
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I've been hearing this for a long time but does someone know a reputable source for this (e.g. reputable car magazine, NHTSA, IIHS, etc.)? I recall even reading an article about how this made for easier assembly by automakers. Unfortunately, my Google-fu isn't good enough. :/
    BTW, you mentioned an 02 Infiniti in one of your earlier posts. What model was it? It very likely also used "drive by wire" for the accelerator. My 02 Nissan Maxima did. How do I know this? I had a recall relating to the accelerator pedal stopper (piece of plastic on the bolted to the floor to limit pedal's travel).

    I believe the 02 model year was the first model year Maxima to use a drive by wire accelerator system.
     
  11. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2005
    29,110
    8,589
    201
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five

    Article from November 2009 in the LA Times: Data point to Toyota's throttles, not floor mats - latimes.com

    If every Toyota uses it, I would say it is safe to say almost every other major manufacturer also uses said system.
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,039
    10,013
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    While off topic, the suspected icing was in the fuel system. [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38"]British Airways Flight 38.[/ame]
     
  13. Judgeless

    Judgeless Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2009
    1,821
    255
    0
    Location:
    Cleveland, OH
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    If you own a Prius and you have a question like the one in the topic why not just look at the pedal and see if it is connected to a cable or a wire?

    The answer is very easy to find out.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Chris2128

    Chris2128 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    85
    4
    0
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Dear cwerdna, you had asked what Infiniti I had, it was 02 q45 with laser cruise control , which I hated!! It never worked more than a couple hours. I always ended up stopping at every 4th or 5th gas station on the highway and cleaning the sensor to be able to use cruise control at all. This was I think a "fail" idea from Infiniti And lexus, that didn't work too well, but again this was a breakthrough back in 2001. It never work in sunlight, fog, or when road was wet, I had it replaced twice because of small stones hitting them. It wouldnt let me choose even manual cruise !! I'm glad I sold that car!
    That's why I had asked earlier that in Prius we should be able to select normal cruise just in case something happened to the radar! But it is very sturdy , I used it for my 36 hour drive . At least every 3 to 4 hours continuous on interstate, stopping for gas and again 3 to 4 hours use. I'm impressed with how well the drcc works with my Prius.
    And btw, my 2000 BMW 328i also had "drive by wire" because the dealership had to replace when my car gave me trouble. It was so scary like something happened to my engine like not being able to breathe!!
     
  15. 413X3

    413X3 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2009
    36
    3
    0
    Location:
    CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    The Corvette Z06 had an electric clutch, that was tough to learn how to find the sweet spot.
     
  16. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2004
    2,480
    176
    0
    Location:
    Gaithersburg, MD
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    The laser cruise on the LS430 works fine as long as its not raining...

    The radar cruise was a big upgrade though.
     
  17. Chris2128

    Chris2128 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2011
    85
    4
    0
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Dear judgeless,
    "Houston we have a problem!!" why is the top of your pedal showing wires? I looked at mine today and it has a plastic looking pipe going up all the way! That's weird.
     
  18. Judgeless

    Judgeless Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2009
    1,821
    255
    0
    Location:
    Cleveland, OH
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    That is how mine came stock. It is a GenIII 2010 IV
     
  19. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2010
    1,605
    148
    0
    Location:
    Mt. Pleasant, SC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    What is the knob on the left side of accelerator mount. It looks like you could rotate it. Maybe it's an accelerator sensitivity adjustment? I noticed this knob the other day when I was exploring under my Prius dash.
     
  20. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,669
    6,485
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The Prius does indeed have a FBW throttle, but you may not be able to tell just by looking at the accelerator pedal.
    In this picture, and hypothetically, there could be a throttle cable exiting through the firewall that's concealed by the black enclosure, and the electrical plug could be connected to something like a throttle position sensor.

    To answer your question with another question:
    Isn't a forum a proper place to ask questions?
    When I used to drive a podium I always used to tell trainees that the only stupid question is the one that you don't ask....:cool:
     
    1 person likes this.