The mystery of regenerative braking

Regenerative braking

Like many of you, my insurance company plays big brother, watching my every driving move. But regenerative braking remains a mystery to the company and to much of the general public.

Fortunately, this doesn’t impact my insurance rates, but it troubles me nonetheless.

Then I spoke with a friend who is well aware of my preference for an electric vehicle (EV), has listened to me go over the tech many times, but also did not understand regenerative braking, or why I rarely use the brake pedal.

Tracking software

Their software measures acceleration and “braking”, so I called to ask how it knew when I used the brake pedal. It doesn’t — it only knows when the vehicle is speeding up and slowing down. I didn’t ask how…

I explained to the aide I was speaking with that this is a very good thing, because as an EV driver, I rarely have to use the brake. This led to the explanation as to why, which she found quite interesting.

Still, it is somewhat disturbing to me that an automotive-focused business does not already know this.

It was this story that I relayed to my friend, who shares the same insurance company, who immediately countered that surely I have to use the brake!

I don’t have to use the brake!

Well, that answer is no. And for those of you who don’t know, when an EV driver removed his or her foot from the accelerator, the electric motor reverses sending energy back to the battery (this is wrong! click the link!). That process puts a drag or “brake” on the vehicle and in most EVS can be set to bring the vehicle to a full stop.

And as always there are way too many symbols in play for the technology…

Its surprisingly intuitive, working very much like a brake pedal in reverse. Decelerate slowly and vehicle brakes slowly. Decelerate quickly and it brakes quickly. And the brake pedal is still there for an emergency stop.

And its no more complicated than that. And you can see more on the subject here.

Cars are changing, and among those changes is the growing number of symbols and indicators that will invariably show up on your dashboard or instrument panel. Every year, new features are added to vehicles, each of which is accompanied by a new symbol or symbols and likely a new abbreviation or acronym.

At DashboardSymbols.com, our aim is to help you understand what is happening to your vehicle at the first sign of trouble — a new warning light illuminated on your instrument panel. Its all here on this website. Our first intention is to bring the latest technologies down to earth and understandable for everyday drivers.

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The material on these pages is provided for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

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