Patent ID: 8005588

Claim:
A power control system for a vehicle having wheels and an electric drive with regenerative braking, said electric drive comprising an electric motor for providing motive power to at least one of said wheels and an electric motor controller for controlling the motor, said system including: (a) a motive power control actuator which is biased to a neutral position, and which is controllably moveable between opposed positive and negative power control positions relative to said neutral position for producing a motive power control signal ranging from a value corresponding to zero power when in said neutral position to a variable value dependent on the amount of such movement from said neutral position; (b) a speed sensor for providing a speed signal corresponding to a measured speed of said vehicle; and, (c) a speed holder operably connected to said power control actuator and to said speed sensor for: (i) receiving a signal corresponding to said motive power control signal as a first input signal; (ii) receiving a signal corresponding to said speed signal as a second input signal; and, (iii) producing as an output signal a modified power control signal for said motor controller, the modified signal having a variable value dependent on the difference between said first and second input signals.