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Can anyone elaborate on this? Do electric cars really cause less break dust for this reason?
by beaner 6y ago
Can anyone elaborate on this? Do electric cars really cause less break dust for this reason?
- omgwtfbyobbq 6y agoYup. Brakes on an EV can last a crazy long time as long as there isn't too much hard braking.
- ip26 6y agoI've generally heard from hybrid & EV early adopters that they have found their brake pads are replaced either "once" or "never", in the life of their vehicle. For this reason. If you're driving gently (to maximize regeneration), a hybrid or EV pretty much only uses the brake pads to hold the car at a stop. Deceleration is done entirely with regeneration, for maximum energy recovery.
- WillPostForFood 6y agoYou don't have to use the brake pedal at all if you drive carefully. Just lift off the accelerator and the wheels drive the motor generating electricity and slowing the car.
- superhuzza 6y ago>You don't have to use the brake pedal at all if you drive carefully. Until you drive down a hill, another driver does something unexpected, you have to take a poorly marked turn, there's a stop sign around the bend etc...
- NotSammyHagar 6y agoI don't think they mean you never actually use the brakes. That person is probably referring to the Tesla feature where when you don't use the gas pedal, the system is slightly recharging the batteries all the times (via magnets). You can turn this off if you don't like it. Then you get used to a driving style where you take your foot off the 'gas pedal' before you need to stop and the car slows down on it own (through regen braking), and so the 'UX' is you just selectively apply the gas pedal or not to go fast or slow down. If you need to stop suddenly you use the brake. It's an automatic thing after a while, you don't need to think about it. I sometimes have to get used to a 'regular gas car' that doesn't have this when I drive something else.
- sliken 6y agoI have a Tesla, and I can assure you that I use the actual brakes crazy less than a normal car. I do have the AWD version which I do believe has more regenerative braking than the RWD model. Generally if it's a "oops I messed up" and you see a red light or stop sign later than usual you tap the brakes. But even on pretty steep hills I don't hit the brakes and basically never ride the brakes which was pretty common on my subaru.
- mikestew 6y agoIf the car is not slowing down by clamping brake pads to a metal disc, then yes? I'm not sure how to answer the confusion here: confused on how regenerative braking works, or conventional braking?
- jimbokun 6y agoHow does regenerative breaking work?
- jeffbee 6y agoYou apply a load across the motor, the same way any electricity is generated.
- sliken 6y agoImagine a generator on a bicycle, you pedal to make a light bulb light up. There is of course inherent friction in the system, but a large fraction is actually pushing magnet fields around to produce electricity. That part actually has no friction, while it's not 100% efficient in the form of stray magnetic fields and some heating, normal metal on metal friction is a very small fraction. Normal brakes use 100% friction, which of course causes substantial heat, and increases wear and tear on the pads, the rotor, and brake fluid. These type issues are why it's often recommended to use a lower gear down hills so you can offload the brakes with engine friction. So not only does regenerative braking produce less dust, but it produces less heat, and the brakes/rotors/fluid are on average cooler and in a state where any needed braking causes less wear.
- beaner 6y agoI guess I wasn't sure how regeneration could occur through a process that is not frictive & therefore clean. And if there is a clean friction, why there wouldn't be one for disc breaks as well.
- Nasrudith 6y agoThe answer is that an electrical motor can also be a generator. An electrical motor when a current is applied causes it to rotate. When power is drawn from a rotating motor it generates a counter-torque proportional to the power extracted. Not perfectly efficient of course and there are still resistive and inductive losses but that means less energy dissipation by friction. This synergies beautifully with an electrical power system in boosting overall efficiency.
- pests 6y agoVery little braking is used day to day. Brakes might be used once or twice a day in my roommates Tesla. I mean they even have a one-pedal mode where you don't touch the brake except emergencies.
- rypskar 6y agoYes, electric and hybrids use the breaks so little that rust on the discs is a problem many places
- potatochup 6y agoBecause of this, some fancier EVs/hybrids have an auto-wipe feature that briefly applies the brakes at low pressure while you are driving to clean the pads.
- serpix 6y agoBrakes are unnecessary even on fossil cars with manual transmission due to engine braking. The only time you need brakes is keeping still and emergencies. I just had my 2012 Volt rear brake discs replaced due to corrosion. The discs were almost unused but too corroded to pass inspection.