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Old 08-13-18 | 10:47 AM
  #21  
General Geoff
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 780
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From: Allentown, Pennsylvania

Bikes: 2018 Lynskey Cooper CX; 2007 Cannondale F4

Originally Posted by JonathanGennick
Even on eBikes I wonder if it's just about marginal gains. Any idea on that? There's probably no weight penalty for recapturing the braking energy, but is it really enough to add very many minutes to the battery life?
It's directly proportional to how often you use your brakes. Similar to how a Toyota Prius gets better fuel economy in city driving than highway, because city driving involves lower speeds (less drag), and it can recoup most of the lost energy from stop/go traffic with its regenerative braking. Regular cars just dissipate the energy needed to slow the car down as heat.

Similarly, if you ride a completely flat route where you rarely or never use the brakes to slow down, you won't gain anything from regenerative braking. If you're in a very hilly area or you're in stop/go traffic, you will get a significant return from regen braking.
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