3 ms·
The thing is, distance is meaningless. The energy needed to travel for A to B depends on way more than the "distance". Elevation changes, weather, wind, drivi
by FullyFunctional 6y ago
The thing is, distance is meaningless. The energy needed to travel for A to B depends on way more than the "distance". Elevation changes, weather, wind, driving style, etc all matter. I can show you roads near me where my energy consumption is negative (yes, driving down the mountain).
- anonymousiam 6y agoWouldn't the regenerative braking system recharge the batteries on the down slopes? I realize it's probably not 100% efficient, but if the system were reasonably efficient, it shouldn't matter how hilly or flat the trip could be.
- kenhwang 6y agoI've heard numbers quoted that it's only about 50% efficient, and it would only capture the potential energy from the weight of the car. You still lose a very significant amount of energy overcoming air/rolling resistance.
- FullyFunctional 6y agoYou mean, if the starting and ending elevation is the same the hills shouldn't matter? That's not the case. AFAIK, in any vehicle (even in space) the efficiency goes down with increased acceleration. Going up a hill is accelerating more (counteracting gravity) and downhill is a negative acceleration, so you end up loosing twice. Ken in a sibling comment claims "50%" which begs the question "compared to what". We'll never be able to reclaim _all_ the energy, but the energy that gets to the wheel is stored back in the battery at 80+% efficiency. Most of the losses are in wind resistance and friction.