IIT research to put EVs, hybrids on ‘overdrive’

Although such strategies have been developed for lighter road vehicles, there are few such initiatives to improve braking performance of heavy commercial vehicles like buses and trucks through regenerative braking. 

In a regenerative braking system, when the driver applies brake, a part of the kinetic energy due to the movement of the vehicle is converted into electrical energy and stored in the battery for use in propelling the vehicle. 

The research was led by Prof CS Shankar Ram, Department of Engineering Design, and his PhD student Dr VS Kesavan who explored various strategies to study and incorporate the effect of different dynamic characteristics of ‘friction brake’ and ‘regenerative brake’ on the vehicle’s braking performance. The results of their study was published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal, Vehicle System Dynamics.