DIY Electric Car Regenerative Braking – Should You Use It?

There are many benefits to owning a pure electric car. For starters, you won’t need to stop at the gas station anymore. The only time you will go through the station is to buy candy or use the bathroom. It’s a great feeling when your vehicle is no longer dependent on fossil fuels.

To save costs, many electric car enthusiasts are converting their gas-powered cars to electric through a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach from their home garage. The general concept is to remove the internal combustion engine and replace it with a DC electric motor. To generate power, a series of deep-cycle batteries are used.

During the electric car conversion process, there is one component that most EV retrofitters can consider. It is the regenerative braking system. What is regenerative braking in electric cars and why should we use it? Regenerative braking is a system that converts the kinetic energy of the electric car and uses it to drive an alternator to generate electrical power. The generated electrical energy can flow back to the battery to prolong its life.

As an analogy, the regenerative braking system is like using a downshift to slow a vehicle. In an EV, we are using the rotating torque from the electric motor to spin an alternator through a clutch system. However, there is a drawback to this system. You have to activate it manually.

If you want to use regenerative braking, you must install a switch on the steering wheel or on the gear lever. Every time you want to slow down your EV, you have to push the button to engage the clutch. The clutch will then transfer power from the engine to the generator.

How effective is the system? By using regenerative braking, you will extend the driving mileage of your electric car. In short, its effectiveness will depend on the state of the battery, the alternator and also the weight of the car.