If you are considering the purchase of a hybrid car, you have probably come across the term “regenerative brake” somewhere in your research. As with much of hybrid technology, this might have you scratching your head.

Regenerative brakes are nothing new. In fact, the concept was discovered in 1832 by a French instrument maker by the name of Antoine-Hippolyte Pixii. In a nut shell, Pixii discovered a way to recapture the kinetic energy created by the slowing rotor in a braking system and convert the energy to electrical energy through electromagnetic induction. The energy is then stored in the hybrid vehicle’s battery for use at a later time. In a standard braking system, this energy is simply lost as heat. While the energy reuse efficiency for a standard braking system is zero, regenerative braking systems boast a 31% efficiency. Research is currently being done in hopes to make the braking system even more efficient.

Regenerative braking systems are just now coming into use due to rising energy costs and more environmental concerns from consumers. Prior to this, the regenerative brakes were too cost prohibitive for production vehicles. As with most technology, the more complex the system, the higher the maintenance cost. More parts equal more opportunity for malfunction. This is just one of the reasons for the higher cost of hybrid cars and trucks.

Hybrid vehicle brake systems provide standard brakes and regenerative braking systems. Should either brake system fail, the other system will take over. However, the brake pedal will be much more difficult to press and the distance to stop will be farther.