A Study on Effect of Regenerative Braking on Vehicle Range and Axle Life

This paper aims at analysing the effect of regeneration braking on the amount of energy harnessed during vehicle braking, coasting and its effect on the drive train components like gear, crown wheel pinion, spider gear & bearing etc. Regenerative braking systems (RBS) is an effective method of recovering the kinetic energy of the vehicle during braking condition and using this to recharge the batteries. In Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), this harnessed energy is used for controlled charging of the high voltage batteries which will help in increasing the vehicle range eventually. Depending on the type of the powertrain architecture, components between motor output to the wheels will vary, i.e., in an e-axle, motor is coupled with a gear box which will be connected with differential and the wheels. Whereas in case of a central drive architecture, motor is coupled with gearbox which is connected with a propeller shaft and then the differential and to the wheels. All the components between motor output to the wheels has to be designed and validated for taking the regenerative torque during braking & coasting.