Watch: We Find Out How Effective Brake Energy Regen Is Down A Steep Road With The Kia EV6

Published November 28, 2023
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2 min read

Brake energy regeneration is a technology borrowed from Formula 1 and Formula E, but unlike its motorsport application, it is used to maximise range in mass-market electric vehicles

We Find Out How Effective Brake Energy Regen Is Down A Steep Road highlights

Find yourself driving downhill in a ghat or hilly section of the road? Yeah, it's great for fuel efficiency of an ICE vehicle, but did you know you can actually gain range in an EV while doing so?

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Brake energy regeneration isn’t a novel concept – a lot of EVs offer you this function to extend or improve their range. How? Simple. Instead of just using the mechanical brakes, the car uses its wheels to power the motor while slowing down, effectively turning it into an electric generator sending charge to its battery.

But have you ever wondered what’s the extent of that recuperation – how much range it can actually save you – especially when you’re driving downhill?

To find this out, our in-house associate editor, Tushar, took the Kia EV6 out for a real-world range recuperation test. You can watch him carry out the test in the reel below:

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So 10kms driven, and the car only lost a range of 3kms. That’s essentially 7kms of costless, absolutely free of charge driving! And if the tuning is right, you can even use this mode to essentially make your drive one-pedal (accelerator) only!

We Find Out How Effective Brake Energy Regen Is Down A Steep Road overview

Brake energy regeneration isn’t limited to EVs like the Kia EV6, because you get the same function in mass-market cars like the Mahindra XUV400 and even the Nexon EV. It is possible that their respective effectiveness might differ depending on their respective tuning, but the purpose and goal is mutual, irrespective.

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So, would you prefer using your mechanical brakes, or would you rather rely on the regen for your stopping maneuvers and gain or save some charge/range in the process? Let us know in the comments.