When you hear electric car, do you think Prius?

[Jonny69]

Originally Posted by Raymond Lin

I am wondering, how come they can't self charge themselves while the car is in motion? Same way when you use wind to turn a turbine that charges a battery, if you use the motion in the wheels driven by the engine, and charge a second set of batteries while the 1st set is running. When the first set is flat, some kind of switch over and do the same back. The energy needed to power the car is no doubt more than it can generate but surely you would go on miles and miles and miles !

They do it's called regenerative braking

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by Jonny69

They do it's called regenerative braking

There goes my patent to riches.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by Raymond Lin

I am wondering, how come they can't self charge themselves while the car is in motion? Same way when you use wind to turn a turbine that charges a battery, if you use the motion in the wheels driven by the engine, and charge a second set of batteries while the 1st set is running. When the first set is flat, some kind of switch over and do the same back. The energy needed to power the car is no doubt more than it can generate but surely you would go on miles and miles and miles !

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, they energy you're talking about going into the 2nd set of batteries must come from somewhere. They use something called Regenerative Braking, as mentioned earlier, to recharge the batteries when you apply the brakes, but it can't operate continuously effectively. The energy going back into the batteries would have to be coming from somewhere. In this case, it would be the energy provided by the 1st set of batteries, being converted into kinetic energy (with some loss) and back into chemical energy from kinetic with more loss and a reduction in the kinetic output (torque). Dynamo's and the like actually slow things down as they convert that kinetic energy into electrical charge, same would happen with a car, there would be something resisting the motion.