A Novel Energy-Efficient Regenerative Braking System for Electric Vehicles

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and HEVs) are using regenerative braking systems (RBS) to recapture a portion of the energy spent during driving. The RBS plays a pivotal role in enhancing the energy efficiency of these vehicles. With the advancement in connectivity and autonomous driving technologies, there is a significant opportunity to harness these features to further boost efficiency. This paper introduces a novel approach to maximize the recaptured energy from the regenerative braking system. Our method involves determining the optimal braking torque by pre-processing vehicle dynamics and electric powertrain data, aiming to find the most effective braking torque relative to the vehicle's speed and the required distance for a complete stop. This research yields a detailed map that guides the derivation of the optimal regenerative braking torque, tailored to maximize energy regeneration based on specific vehicle characteristics, its proximity to the final stop, and its current speed. A comparative analysis between the energy recaptured in standard braking procedures and our proposed braking method reveals a substantial increase in the energy stored in the battery. The results indicate that the implementation of the proposed RBS enhances real-world urban driving cycle efficiency up to 37.8%.