Battery Electric

Is it possible to use the motion of a car’s wheels to charge a battery for an electric engine?

I’ve read that the Toyota Prius uses a combustion engine to charge the battery for its electric engine, but is it possible to use the motion of the cars wheels, once it is running, to charge the battery instead. It would require a lot less gasoline in the long run. Wouldn’t it? I’ve never taken a physics class, so maybe this isn’t even possible. I don’t know. What do you guys think?

Yes, it is called “regenerative braking.” The idea is that you use Faraday’s law which says when you move two magnets past each other you generate current.

The main obstacle to implementing such a system is that it adds much more cost than the already mature braking technology. Once you generate the electricity you have to control it and store it back into batteries, which will be much more efficient in the coming years.

2011 Nissan Leaf – Battery Electric Car – “In Depth” Vehicle Introduction video