Potential for Regenerative Braking Systems as Applied to Automobiles

Regenerative braking (RB) systems have existed in conceptual form for several years. The present work develops calculations which demonstrate the practicality of such systems. It is shown that fuel savings of from 4.3 to 8.5 percent are achievable, leading to a reduction in transportation petroleum consumption of about 8.1 × 10⁹ l/yr in the U.S. alone.