Diverting Regenerative Braking Energy

Rail Rider · Jun 13, 2021

Is anyone aware of a way to send the regenerative braking current to a special application rather than back to the battery or supercapacitors in parallel? On our railbikes, we want to send the regenerative braking current to a braking resistor rather than to the battery or supercapacitors. We don’t care about recharging the battery, only slowing the vehicle in a consistent manner during long downhill sections of railroad track regardless of the state of the battery charge. I'm trying to keep the regenerative braking from automatically stopping when the battery if fully charged. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated?

E-HP · Jun 14, 2021

Rail Rider said:
Is anyone aware of a way to send the regenerative braking current to a special application rather than back to the battery or supercapacitors in parallel? On our railbikes, we want to send the regenerative braking current to a braking resistor rather than to the battery or supercapacitors. We don’t care about recharging the battery, only slowing the vehicle in a consistent manner during long downhill sections of railroad track regardless of the state of the battery charge. I'm trying to keep the regenerative braking from automatically stopping when the battery if fully charged. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated?

How much current?
Maybe a few big diodes, plus a water cooled load bank if a lot,
or homemade air cooled one, made of several range/stove elements.

stan.distortion · Jun 14, 2021

Sounds like you're doing the same thing as an electric retarder. Commercially you'd need something like this company offers (just an example, no affiliation):
https://www.escomponents.com/whatare-braking-resistors

Usually big-budget though, you might find something second hand in a scrapyard or as above, something could be built to do the same job from electric heating elements etc.

Diverting Regenerative Braking Energy

Rail Rider

1 µW

E-HP

10 GW

stan.distortion

1 kW

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