In our prior post, we talked about perpetual energy, this time we’ll talk about a related form of that. Regenerative braking.
But before we start let us understand some keywords/key terms that shall be used in this explanation.
KEYWORDS/KEY TERMS:
Kinetic Energy – a form of energy that it possesses due to its motion. It is also known as the energy of motion.
Electrical Energy – a form of energy resulting from the flow of electric charge.
conventional car – a car that uses gasoline or diesel to power an internal combustion engine.
hybrid car – a car that uses an internal combustion engine and can be fueled like normal cars but also have an electric motor and battery.
electric car – a car that is powered by a big battery with at least one electric drive motor connected to it. No petrol, gas or diesel – no problem!
A regenerative braking system is a system that used to recover lost energy. It is a method of braking in which the kinetic energy is extracted, stored, and reused to provide power to the electric motor.
For the old model cars, if you step on the brakes, the friction (kinetic energy) will be made and can produce heat and that energy will go elsewhere. It just means that every time you step on your car’s brakes, you’re wasting energy. But for today’s hybrid/electric cars (Toyota Prius, Tesla Roadster, etc.), instead of wasting this energy, the regenerative braking system will convert the kinetic energy into electrical energy and store it back to the battery. Hence, it can recover some of the energy used while driving.
When the driver steps on the brake pedal, the brakes put the vehicle’s electric motor into reverse mode. Thus, slowing the car’s wheels and causing it to run backward. In this process, the motor will act as an electric generator and the electricity to be sent back to the battery.
According to Hybridcars.com, the energy efficiency of a conventional car is only about 20%, with the remaining 80% of its energy being converted to heat through friction. The awesome contribution of regenerative braking is that it may be able to capture as much as half of that wasted energy and put it back to work.
Recovering the lost energy while braking is a challenge because the time used while braking is usually lower than the time used driving. And usually, the time braking will need to be recovered quickly.
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