Simulation-Based Comparative Analysis of Extractable Energy from Various Commercial Electric Vehicles During Regenerative Braking

This study presents a comparative analysis of the regenerative braking capabilities of various vehicles using predefined Simulink vehicle models. The vehicles’ behavior under diverse standard driving cycles is simulated in this work, and the regenerative efficiency compared to the available kinetic energy is calculated in each driving cycle. It systematically evaluates factors such as vehicle weight, powertrain, motor size, battery size, and state of charge in various 2024 EV models. The study underscores the pivotal role these factors play in determining the overall efficiency of EVs. Through multiple simulations comparing the recovered electrical potential energy against lost vehicle kinetic energy, the study indicates that the greatest regenerative efficiency is found in vehicles with larger mass, motor sizes, and battery sizes compared to vehicles with smaller attributes in these categories. Additionally, no significant regenerative efficiency degradation is found associated with vehicles with a higher starting state of charge (i.e., greater than 95%) versus lower states of charge around 70%. Moreover, the study highlights the evolving nature of regenerative braking, emphasizing the necessity to consider aspects beyond power and drivetrain factors when evaluating impacts on regenerative efficiency.