What's regenerative braking?
How does regenerative braking work?
Some electric or hybrid cars have a function that brakes regeneratively. This is a technology that charges the battery while you break. It works like this: the electric motor powers the wheels. When you let go of the gas pedal, the motor works separately like a kind of dynamo. When rolling out, the motor collects kinetic energy. As a result, the battery fills up while you brake and you can drive for longer.
Pros and cons of regenerative braking
Regenerative driving comes with the following advantages and disadvantages.
- Because you win energy back and store it, you can drive for longer and won't have to charge as often.
- Your breaks don't wear out as quickly, which keeps your maintenance costs lower.
- You can control your car with only the gas pedal by pushing it down or letting it go.
- Driving with regenerative braking takes getting used to as you don't use the brake pedal anymore. Some people don't like to drive this way.
One-pedal driving
Another term you often hear when talking about regenerative driving is one-pedal driving. This means that you only control the car with the gas pedal. You push it down for more speed or let it go to slow down. One-pedal driving is mostly useful when driving urban areas.
