ABSTRACT
Recuperation, i.e. recovery of braking energy is one of the greatest benefits when using an electric car in the city. When necessary, the motor that drives the wheels of the vehicle can switch to the recovery mode of energy from a speeding vehicle (Lajunen 2013). Given the mass of the vehicle, it appears that the amount of energy that can be recovered is considerable, which reduces the average energy consumption of the vehicle and thus helps to increase its range. Another advantage is the substantial reduction in the cost of operating such a vehicle. By less frequent use of the brakes, we reduce their consumption and thus lengthen their lifespan. Recuperation can be used not only during braking, but also in other situations, such as rolling down a steep hill. We then use the potential energy of the car to recharge the batteries. The greater the diversity of terrain, the higher the profits offered in relation to the combustion counterpart. What is interesting is that in an electric car there is no concept of wear and tear of the drive unit, which can very often move smoothly from motor to generator operation, thus giving designers a wide leeway in the selection of the control algorithm of such a vehicle (Speidel S & Bräunl, 2014).
