Electric vehicle (EV) owners are increasingly interested in maximizing efficiency and understanding vehicle performance. One key aspect of EV efficiency is regenerative braking, or “regen,” which recovers energy during deceleration. But how much of a difference does regen actually make in real-world driving? Using a car scanner to record data while driving provides valuable insights into this question.
To quantify the impact of regen, a 26-mile trip was undertaken, recording On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) parameters using a car scanner application. This journey, a blend of freeway and city driving with some stationary periods, offered a representative scenario for data collection. The Car Scanner app’s data logging functionality allowed for comprehensive recording and subsequent export to spreadsheet software for in-depth analysis.
The recorded drive spanned 50 minutes and 14 seconds, covering 26.013 miles. Starting with a 100% State of Charge (SOC), the battery concluded the trip at 60%. Interestingly, while the car consumed 5.639189 kWh of battery capacity net, the gross energy consumption was 7.255261 kWh. This reveals that 1.61607 kWh was regenerated during the drive, directly recorded by the Car Scanner Records Data While Driving.
This data analysis indicates a remarkable 22.3% regeneration rate, a significant contribution to overall efficiency. The impact is further highlighted by comparing Miles Per Gallon equivalent (MPGe) figures: 155 MPGe with regen included versus 121 MPGe without. This substantial difference underscores the effectiveness of regenerative braking in enhancing EV efficiency during typical driving conditions.
The process to derive these insightful figures involved several steps post car scanner records data while driving:
- Data Logging: Recording driving parameters using the Car Scanner app.
- Data Export: Exporting the recorded data into a CSV format for spreadsheet analysis.
- Net Energy Calculation: Calculating the area under the curve for total battery consumption (5.639189 KWh).
- Gross Energy Calculation: Calculating the area under the curve for positive battery power values (7.255261 KWh), representing energy drawn from the battery.
- Regen Energy Calculation: Calculating the area under the curve for negative battery power values (1.61607 KWh), representing energy returned to the battery through regenerative braking.
Visualizing the data, graphs plotting State of Charge, Battery Power, and Car Speed provide a clear picture of the energy flow during the trip. Whether viewed directly in the Car Scanner app or exported and analyzed in spreadsheet software like Excel, these visualizations effectively demonstrate the dynamics of EV energy consumption and regeneration.
In conclusion, utilizing a car scanner to record data while driving offers a powerful method for EV owners to understand and appreciate the contribution of regenerative braking. The recorded data from this 26-mile trip reveals that regen is not just a marginal benefit but a significant factor, recovering over 20% of energy in this scenario and substantially boosting overall driving efficiency. This insight emphasizes the importance of driving techniques that maximize regenerative braking in electric vehicles.
