Energy Regeneration Brake

The Energy Regeneration Brake was the name for a system designed to automatically switch an electric motor into a generator as the vehicle slowed. Braking energy is absorbed so that batteries can be recharged, thus increasing the range of the automobile.[1]

Contents

Design

The system was first developed in 1967 by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in cooperation with Gulton Industries[2] for an experimental battery powered city car.[3] This concept car was called Amitron and its later iteration, the Electron. To achieve longer battery life between charges, the Amitron would have a "regenerative braking system" to generate battery-charging power as the car is slowed.[3]

The AMC-Gulton automobile was capable of "nondissipative speed control" by capturing the kinetic energy that the car loses when braking; thus, energy is not wasted in heating up the brake linings.[4] This energy regeneration system also results in fuel savings.[5] It used batteries with a high "power-to-energy ratio" and that were also capable of repeated charging and discharging cycles.[5]

Name for electronic control

During the late 2000s, a system described as "Brake Energy Regeneration" is a misnomer for an electronic control unit used by BMW that engages the alternator during braking, while freewheeling during acceleration and limiting its horsepower draw from the car’s engine while cruising.[6]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Electronics World - merged into Popular Electronics in 1972 (Ziff-Davis) 79: 40. 1968. 
  2. ^ In 1986, Gulton Industries was acquired by Mark IV Industries of Buffalo, NY. Mark IV is a manufacturer of highly-engineered systems and components for the worldwide automotive OEM market.
  3. ^ a b "Next: the Voltswagon?". Time. December 22, 1967. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899945,00.html. Retrieved 3 February 2011. 
  4. ^ Shores, Louis, ed (1968). 1968 Year Book (encyclopedia supplement). New York: Crowell-Collier. p. 163. 
  5. ^ a b Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development - Working Group on Low-Emission Vehicles (2004). Can Cars Come Clean?: strategies for low-emission vehicles. OECD. p. 147. ISBN 9789264104952. 
  6. ^ Kavanagh, Jason (8 May 2006). "Inside BMW's Latest Powertrain Technologies". edmunds.com. http://www.insideline.com/bmw/inside-bmws-latest-powertrain-technologies.html. Retrieved 3 February 2011.