JBee
Well-known member
- First Name
- JB
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- Cybertruck
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No. Gravity is NOT regen braking.Gravity works both ways, but regenerative braking is not 100%. If you drive a very hilly route, it will definitely make an impact on range. Estimates are you will lose around 30% of the energy taking the potential energy back into stored energy in the battery. If you go up 1000 ft, that would be 6.6x10^6 ft lbs or 2.5 kWh of energy in the Cybertruck. That would be 0.75 kW lost if you go up 1000 ft. Not 1000 ft total, but 1000 ft from all of your uphill driving. Very hilly routes definitely reduce range.
You don't regen all the energy back from a hill climb, you instead use it to drive a distance, otherwise you would get nowhere, and come to a stop at the end of the regen braking.
Only a small portion is returned to the pack as regen in normal driving, and depends on your downhill speed, road conditions, corners and traffic you need to slow down for etc.
Accordingly, regen braking should be avoided at all costs, unless you have to slow for traffic, stops or turns. This reduces the cycling losses to the battery and back out. Gravity remains 100% efficient to "store" energy, as does interia.
But, how you use it has nothing to do with the "efficiency" of gravity. These are two different things.
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