FUV Throttle Issues

The throttle (the thing you twist to go forward or backward) on an Arcimoto is an electro-mechanical part. If you move the throttle through its positions by twisting it, a problem can occur, especially over time.

I expect this to be a high wear item: when turning sharp, you are yanking on it while using the throttle because there is no real power steering.

These are our guesses because Arcimoto doesn’t put out information such as issue bulletins, schematics, or even a parts list. It would be a more informed guess if they put out some information.

Problem #1

A current limit condition (overcurrent). The throttle will stop responding mostly when twisting the throttle after a stop - but can also fail in the middle of driving (this should be rare). To immediately fix the issue, a restart is performed immediately (turn the vehicle off then back on), thus resetting the current limit condition within the computer. If you turn off the vehicle and turn it back on and the throttle starts working again - this is a throttle problem.  As a temporary fix I would flood it with electrical contact cleaner like Deoxit.

We had it fail 5 times on a 4 mile ride. Then it didn’t fail for a week, then it failed again. It wasn’t consistent. But since replacement of the throttle 2 years and over 6000 miles ago, there have been zero issues.

A well-respected Arcimoto tech believes this type of throttle issue is caused by a delay in the microswitch, which then leads to the inverter shutting down with an error. This is why a shut down and start up can temporarily fix it, which can be difficult when you are in traffic and there is no place to pull over to shut down and restart.

A potential fix is to re-route the microswitch’s wiring and turn off a setting in the inverter. This has not been documented yet but we are working on that.

Problem #2

Jerking and hesitations in acceleration when using the throttle. There is a flat spot in the potentiometer within the throttle causing the jerky acceleration. Replacing the throttle is the solution. Using a hall sensor is another potential solution but that is not documented and is not a simple fix.

Problem #3

There is a jerkiness to the throttle. This could be caused by a poor connection at the regen lever. Unplug and plug back in, possibly cleaning the plug.

Problem #4

The regen brake lever isn’t going fully forward when you let it go. If you give the lever a quick ‘bump’ forward with your finger, the lever will go fully forward, and the throttle then works.

Problem #5

The vehicle starts up as normal but the throttle doesn’t work after startup. Putting the throttle back to neutral doesn’t happen because the cable gets hung up on the gear switch box (the housing for the forward-neutral-reverse switch). 

Ensure the cable coming out of the twist throttle is fully zip tied. When the cable isn’t properly tied to the handle bars, it may cause the cable to hang up, the keeping the throttle from going all the way back to starting/neutral position. So when initially putting it in gear after startup and trying to drive, the vehicle won’t move because the computer checks to see if the throttle is engaging when you first put it in gear to keep it from shooting forward or backward.  

You can test for this problem by gently, with your thumb and index finger, twisting the throttle upward before startup. If it moves upward, the cable might be interfering. The solution is to add an extra zip tie.