What is regenerative braking?
Regenerative braking recaptures energy that would normally be lost when a vehicle slows or coasts. It uses the forward motion of the wheels to turn the motor, which generates electricity and helps slow the vehicle.
Action level No action usually needed
- Why you are seeing it
- It is named in descriptions of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
- Why it matters
- It is one way these vehicles recover some of the energy that is normally lost in braking.
- What should I do?
- Nothing is needed: the vehicle does it automatically when you slow down.
- Read your owner's manual to see how your own vehicle behaves when you lift off the accelerator.
- A common misunderstanding
- Regenerative braking helps slow the vehicle and recover some energy, but it is described as a help: this page does not say it replaces the vehicle's brakes.
How it works
Regenerative braking recaptures energy that is normally lost during coasting or braking. It uses the forward motion of the wheels to turn the motor, which generates electricity and helps slow the vehicle.
A simple example
Slowing down
You lift off the accelerator or press the brake pedal.
The wheels turn the motor, which generates electricity and helps slow the vehicle a little.
How much energy is recovered depends on the vehicle and the stop; the page describes the idea, not a number.
Where you find it
Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles all use regenerative braking to recover some braking energy that would otherwise be lost.
Try these tools
- EV Cost Per Mile CalculatorFind an EV's cost per mile from its efficiency (miles per kWh or kWh per 100 miles) and your electricity price.
- Gas vs EV Cost ComparisonCompare the cost of owning a gas car and an electric car.