How does regenerative braking in hybrid + electric vehicles work?
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Motors and electric generators are the same thing.
If you apply power then it’s a motor. If you spin it up without giving it power then it becomes a generator.
So in an electric car (EV), when you slow down the momentum of the car is used to spin the motor(s) to generate electricity, which is then used to charge the batteries. Because you’re converting energy (the vehicle kinetic energy into electrical energy) it has the effect of slowing the car down.
Depending on the use case, you can increase range by about 20% by doing this.
There are situations where regen isn’t used – emergency stops and when the battery is full. In those cases the normal brakes are used.
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