Quote:
Originally Posted by timmytool
jyanof, you don't need to use the clutch at all in a ecar, the motor has no practical inertia so their is no need to protect the dog teeth in the gear box with a clutch.
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This isn't really on-topic for this thread, but I thought like this, too, until I tried it. Turns out the inertia of a 9" motor IS significant - down-shifting gears took way too long and up-shifting was near impossible.
After 10k miles, I removed the simple coupler and reinstalled the clutch. The car drives a lot better now and I'm happy I did it. Of course, other experiences may be different...
Relating this back to motor controllers, a clutch is definitely valuable for disengaging a runaway motor. Ever since my pseudo-failure, I always have my foot just above the clutch when backing out of a parking spot, just in case...