Regenerative Braking System For A Pure Electric Car
Some people have been wandering if a DIY electric car should have a regenerative system installed. But before that, what is Regenerative Brake? To put it into simple term, a regenerative brake is a mechanism that reduces vehicle speed by converting some of its kinetic energy into a storeable form of energy instead of dissipating it as heat as with a conventional brake.
How would regenerative braking system be used on a [tag-tec]homemade electric car[/tag-tec]. For an EV, the kinetic energy from the spinning electric motor can be used to spin an electric generator (alternator). The power created can then be stored in the battery therefore extending the drive mileage.
This can be done by installing a friction clutch system to transfer the spinning energy of the electric motor to an alternator. See the video below and you will understand what I mean.
How effective is a regenerative braking system to a DIY electric car? One thing is for sure, there will be more work and more components to be fitted into the EV system. I guess the effectiveness of the system will depend on the alternator, the charging state of the battery and also the net weight of the electric car. When there is more weight, there is more momentum hence more kinetic energy.
To see how a regenerative system can be used in a self converted electric car, watch the video below.
If you would like to know more about Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car, you can get more information from Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV manual. Inside the e-book, Les explains the pros and cons of regenerative system on a homemade electric car.