As many folks know by now, hybrid vehicles are made more efficient—and often more powerful—with the assistance of electric motors. In simplest terms, a hybrid vehicle’s gasoline engine is tasked to do less work—and thereby use less fuel—because electric motors help offset some of the workload.
What is Regenerative Braking?
In the case of more advanced hybrid systems, the electric motors may propel the vehicle for significant distances without the gasoline engine being employed at all, which can help further improve fuel economy.
But what powers the electric motors? While there are plug-in hybrid systems which can be additionally charged via external sources such as a wall outlet or charging station, most hybrid vehicles power the electric motors using regenerative braking.
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The term “regenerative braking” can be misleading, in that the vehicle’s brakes are not directly involved in the process. Here’s how regenerative braking works:
When the brakes are applied in a hybrid vehicle, the electric motor(s)—the same motor or motors used to assist the gasoline engine—are used as generators, slowing the vehicle as they charge a small on-board battery.
Because the motors do not offer sufficient resistance to fully slow and ultimately stop the vehicle, the car’s brake system is also employed to effectively control speed. The brakes themselves are no different than those found on non-hybrid vehicles. That said, the brakes found on hybrid vehicles often last longer than those found on other cars and trucks because they do less cumulative work in regular use.
It is the on-board hybrid battery that provides electricity for the hybrid motors. The battery itself is relatively small, with a capacity of 1 to 2 kilowatt hours (kWh). By comparison, many fully electric vehicles employ batteries of 60 kWh or more. Regenerative braking is also employed on electric vehicles, with the recaptured energy used to extend driving range.
Because the regenerative braking system is fully integrated into the vehicle’s hybrid/electric drivetrain, it generally requires no special maintenance or attention.
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What is Regenerative Braking?
The best hybrids are the ones in which you cannot feel the interplay between the regenerative braking system and the actual brakes.