Can alternators on each wheel recover braking energy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fuzigish
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Energy
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
Sign up Log in
3 replies · 3K views
Fuzigish
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
With all the electric/hybrid cars becoming part of everyday life, I’ve been thinking about all the energy going to waste when ‘n vehicle has to come to a stop. Would it be possible to use alternators/generators to make use of that energy to make the vehicle come to a stop? As I understand, the more current being ‘pulled’ from an alternator, the more force the magnetic fields would try and stop rotation. Using current regulation would it be possible to control the stopping force, if an alternator was put on each wheel? Is this whole scenario plausible?

Sorry for bad English (not my first language).

Thanks
 
Engineering news on Phys.org

Discussion

This is exactly what hybrids do. An electrical motor run backward is the same as a generator. It's called regnerative braking and gets back 50-75% of the wasted energy.
 
I don't think hybrids really work. You are adding weight and complication.

Better to have a small vehicle with an efficient as possible petrol/Diesel engine.. Eg .. Toyota Aygo (also badged as Citroen C1)