why can’t electric cars be charged by their own movement?

Question

why can’t electric cars be charged by their own movement?

In: 14

Answer 1

Most electric cars do take advantage of converting their movement into energy, but that can only be done while braking (or going down hill – which is still effectively “braking”). Instead of using regular brakes to convert the movement into heat (and thus slowing down) they use the movement to spin the motor and use it to generate a little bit of electricity. It is known as “Regenerative Braking”.

It is not very efficient – but it does add some extra range to the vehicle that it would not otherwise have.