Regenerative Braking Effects on Non-combustion Pollutant Release

Abstract

Electric Vehicles (EV) have been introduced in the market as a zero-emission solution for the automotive industries, but they are not globally zero-emissions. In fact, there are components, like brakes and tires, emitting dangerous pollutants also in electric cars. This paper focuses on the analysis of a possible ways to reduce the pollutants emitted by the braking system on electric vehicles, in order to reach possible real zero-emissions drive, more specifically during regenerative braking. The aim is to develop a driving model able to simulate the braking behaviour of a vehicle, understanding how impactful regenerative braking is on the dust emissions of the car, comparing the global parameter to a model where regenerative braking is not present. The validation of the model has been performed comparing the computed data to the ones obtained during on-track tests. Finally, it has been possible to implement the optimal driving layout to maximise the regenerative braking and obtaining the maximum reduction of the dust emitted by the braking system.