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BRAKING: PART 1

Regenerative braking converts otherwise wasted energy from braking into electricity and stores it in the battery.

In regenerative braking, the electric motor is reversed so that, instead of using electricity to turn the wheels, the rotating wheels turn the motor and create electricity. Using energy from the wheels to turn the motor slows the vehicle down.

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stage graphic: vertical blue rule
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Battery: The battery stores energy generated from the gasoline engine or, during regenerative braking, from the electric motor. Since the battery helps power the vehicle, it is larger and holds much more energy than batteries used to start conventional vehicles. Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Gasoline engine: Status is ON, The gasoline engine in a hybrid is much like those in conventional vehicles, except that it is usually much smaller and more efficient.
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Electric Motor: The electric motor assists the gasoline engine when additional power is needed. It also acts as a generator, converting energy from the engine or from regenerative braking into electricity and stores it in the battery. It also starts the gasoline engine instantly when needed.Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Main stage: See through car with battery, engine, and electric motor visible. The car is decelerating. There are arrows flowing from the front wheels to the electric motor to the battery.
Rollover area: Rollover the hybrid components to get more information
Footer area: Logos for the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the United States Environmental Protection Agency