What is Regenerative Braking?

You might have heard of the term regenerative braking or wonder how the hybrid Kia models charge their batteries without needing to be plugged into a power source. Regenerative braking is how! Read more below to understand how the regenerative braking system works.

Are you interested in purchasing a new Kia in Little Rock, AR equipped with regenerative braking? We would be happy to help you find your perfect Kia model at Landers Kia!

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Regenerative braking turns your car’s kinetic energy into electricity to charge its battery and boost efficiency. When you step on the brake pedal in a traditional gasoline vehicle, the hydraulic fluid pushes brake pads against brake discs on each wheel. The resulting friction works to slow the car down, generating heat and wearing away at the material on the pads and discs in the process. This is why brake pads need to be replaced regularly.

Regenerative braking is a way of taking the wasted energy from the process of slowing down a car and using it to recharge the car’s batteries. On a normal car, braking simply wastes energy, but with regenerative braking, some of the energy is able to be reused.

A hybrid or electric Kia has two directions where power can run either to or from the electric motor. When you take your foot off the accelerator and switch to the brake pedal, the motor swaps directions and puts that energy back into the battery. On several vehicles, you can tailor your level of intensity for how hard the regenerative braking slows down your vehicle. The all-new Kia EV6 has this feature. When dialed all the way up, you can drive your electric or hybrid vehicle with just one pedal because of the force created by the regenerative braking system to slow down your vehicle.

Interested in making the switch to a hybrid or EV? Check out our inventory at the link above, or swing by to take a test drive! Contact us here to learn more about EV availability and store hours. We’re here to serve you at Landers Kia in Little Rock, Arkansas.