NEW DELHI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have come up with a research that lays down strategies to improve the braking performance of electrified vehicles (electric and hybrid vehicles). This research will help to implement a braking system in electrified vehicles, which can improve the stopping distance and ride comfort in the presence of regenerative braking, according to a statement shared by the IIT.
Although such strategies have been developed for lighter road vehicles, there is a lack of strategies through which the braking performance of heavy commercial road vehicles (such as buses and trucks) can be improved through ‘regenerative braking’, according to the IIT’s statement.
The research is led by professor CS Shankar Ram, IIT Madras, and his PhD student VS Kesavan who have explored various strategies to study and incorporate the effect of different dynamic characteristics of ‘friction brake’ and ‘regenerative brake’. The results of their study have also been published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Vehicle System Dynamics.
“Given the increasing adoption of electrified heavy road vehicles, it is imperative to study their dynamic response during on-road operation. Brakes are used to ensure safe operation of vehicles, and this research focuses on the braking of electrified heavy road vehicles,” Ram said.
There are two braking systems that are being used in electrified vehicles, ‘Friction-based Braking System’ and ‘Regenerative Braking System’.
However, the magnitude of regenerative braking is insufficient to stop the vehicle under all conditions since regenerative braking alone cannot typically provide high deceleration. “Further, when the battery is fully charged or when vehicle speed falls below a certain level, regenerative braking is unavailable, and the total brake force on driven wheels is applied only through friction braking,” according to the research.
Therefore, in electrified vehicles both friction and regenerative braking should be used in a co-operative manner to ensure energy conservation and stopping the vehicle within a reasonable distance, according to the statement shared.
Electrified vehicles can get the best of both worlds through the use of such a co-operative braking system. A crucial part here is the decision on how the two braking systems should operate to ensure that the vehicle stops within a reasonable distance and with no jerks experienced during the shift between the two braking systems for good ride comfort, according to the institute’s statement.
