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To: UpAllNight
Hmmm. In an electrically driven car, one gains energy through regenerative braking while slowing down to a rest.

When you move the electric car from rest, the chemical energy is transformed to electricity. The electricity drives electromagnets in the motor. The drive train converts the rotation of the motor into linear motion via the wheels. The moving vehicle now possesses kinetic energy and momentum. When you apply the "brakes", the linear motion of the car is transformed to rotation of the wheels. That rotation is fed back through the drive train to the motor where the back EMF can return a portion of the original electrical energy back to recharge the battery. You gain nothing. You do recover a small percentage of the original chemical energy. There is loss along the entire path of transformation each direction.

If you happen to be going downhill, the regenerative braking may transform some of your gravitation potential energy into chemical energy in the battery. Still, what goes up must come down. You'll have to climb that hill later and you'll burn more than you captured.

274 posted on 01/01/2007 10:09:32 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin

--You gain nothing.--

Wrong. With friction braking, the energy all goes to wasteful heat but with regenerative braking you recover much of the energy to use later to accelerate the car back up to speed.


276 posted on 01/01/2007 10:15:29 PM PST by UpAllNight
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