What?

How?

Why?

Ovidiu Colda

Standard disk braking

How it works

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Its basic purpose

Other fields of interest

Bibliography

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Understanding the principle behind regenerative braking

requires a brief look at the system it replaces.
Conventionalbrakingsystems use friction to counteract
the forward momentum of a moving car.
As thebrake padsrub against the wheels, excessive
heat energy is also created.
More energy from the engine is required to replace the
energy lost by braking.

Fig. 1 Ordinary braking system in a

car
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Fig. 2

Regenerative braking is a system in which the

electric motor that normally drives a hybrid or pure
electric vehicle is essentially operated in reverse
(electrically) during braking or coasting.
Instead of consuming energy to propel a vehicle,
the motor acts as a generator that charges the onboard
batteries with electrical energy.
The accompanying friction assists the normal brake
pads in overcoming inertia and helps slow the vehicle.

Fig 3. Diagram explaining the

regenerative
braking system

The main utility of the regenerative braking

systems is that they dramatically increase a vehicle's
fuel efficiency.
The systems do add cost and complexity to the
drive train, but many hybrid owners think regenerative
brakes are worth it. In pure electric cars, regenerative
brakes are vital to increasing range and getting the most
out of each charge.

Even though this system is primarily used in

hybrids or electric cars, its applications expand even as
far as motorsport is concerned, with Formula One
having implemented a similar technology called KERS or
Kinetic Energy Recovery System, through which
energy is stored in batteries or a flywheel .
At a later time, it provides short bursts of extra
power, crucial in a race.

Fig. 4 The KERS system

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I hope you enjoyed this swift showcase and

that it intrigued you enough to search online for
more information with regard to this topic.

Thank you for your attention!

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/assets/img/strong-materials/image-05small.jpg
http://www.uefap.com/images/carbrake.jpg
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-regenerative-braking.htm
http://www.futurecars.com/technology/how-regenerative-braking-works
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/braketypes/regenerative-braking6.htm
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/04/16/greenlings-what-isregenerative-braking-and-what-types-are-ther/
http://wwwstatic.shell.com/static/motorsport/imgs/other/technical_partnership/f1_
explained/kers1.jpg

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