What is Regenerative Braking System in an Electric Vehicle?

We spend a huge amount of fuel on transportation and automobiles. While  travelling from one place to another, the energy in fuels like petrol and diesel get converted into heat to power all ignition systems. Some of the energy from the fuel gets converted into kinetic energy for powering the vehicle, while some of it is lost due to friction. The conventional braking system in a fuel-driven vehicle causes friction between brake pads and brake disc when a driver applies brakes to stop the vehicle. It converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into heat which is then dissipated and goes waste.


With the advent of electric vehicles, the idea of capturing and conserving kinetic energy arose. All modern electric cars in India and across the world are equipped with the regenerative braking system. In  the regenerative braking system, the motor, that drives an electric vehicle, also performs the function of braking. When the motor runs, it converts electrical energy into mechanical energy and drives the car. However, while braking, it runs in the opposite direction and becomes an electric generator. When the driver applies the brakes in an electric car, the electric motor runs in the reverse direction to slow down the car. Here, the regenerative braking system converts the kinetic energy to electric energy and stores it in the battery. 


The electric vehicle gets all its energy from its batteries. When the vehicle brakes and decelerates, the converted kinetic energy gets stored in the battery, to be used again. This energy which would otherwise be lost is now recuperated for accelerating the vehicle. The laws of physics state that one cannot recover all the kinetic energy but still, a significant amount of kinetic energy can be converted and stored in the battery which can be used later to drive the vehicle. Thus, this braking system helps to recover the kinetic energy dissipated as heat during braking in the traditional braking method. 

The amount of   energy that can be captured by the regenerative braking system depends on several factors, one being the driver and how he/she drives the electric car. It is estimated that the braking system’s ability to capture energy can range from about 16% to 70%. The highest rates of capturing energy are achieved when drivers slow down well in advance. Those who slam the brakes at the last minute have the least amount of efficiency. Therefore, drivers are advised to adjust and adapt themselves to driving an electric vehicle if they want to get the most out of it.

In  addition to the regenerative system, all electric vehicles have conventional braking systems as regular vehicles. This is because the regenerative system performs effectively only up to certain speeds and it is not very efficient at lower speeds. The braking system is usually slower as compared to the conventional brakes. Hence, a safe electric car is one that is equipped with friction braking, so that in case the motor fails to slow down the vehicle quickly, the driver can apply the conventional friction brakes to stop the vehicle. The Tata Nexon EV is one of the newly launched electric cars in India whose battery and motor are powered by the Tata Ziptron technology, making it an efficient, reliable, and safe electric car in the recent times. 


Regenerative  braking system does not do any good if the electric vehicle has a fully charged battery. A charged battery cannot accept more charge as the electronic circuit prevents the battery from getting overcharged. However, if regenerative braking is used for long under fully charged conditions, it can damage the batteries. To protect the life of the battery and prevent damage to the electrical systems, car owners should resort to frictional braking under such circumstances. This will prevent the frequent charging and discharging of the battery as well. 

Many car owners are switching from fuel-driven cars to electric cars in India as they are known to be safe, economical and environment friendly. Regenerative braking is one feature of electric cars that conventional car drivers need to adapt to. It is generally an effortless transition and once the driver gets a hang of it, they will not miss driving fuel-driven vehicles.

Image Source: circuitdigest .com

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