Regenerative braking: how does it work?

MG’s electrified vehicles come with regenerative braking system as standard. This technology makes it possible to recover energy that is released during deceleration, which helps maximise your range. Read on to find out all you need to know about regenerative braking.

An electric motor has numerous useful advantages. While it can be highly efficient, it can also deliver breath-taking torque that is available immediately from a standstill, with which an electric car guarantees a fun driving experience. Another advantage of an electric motor is that it acts as a generator when it rotates in the opposite direction.

From powering to charging

The latter is of course ideal in an electric car, and that’s exactly what’s happening. When you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal, the electric motor immediately acts as a generator. It uses the kinetic energy that’s released while the car is moving forward and starts to recharge the battery. This allows the car to slow down quicker than usual, depending on the selected regenerative braking level, all without wearing your brake pads out.

With 3 regeneration levels in your MG, you decide whether the car continues to roll as freely as possible on level 1 or go with the stronger braking levels (2 and 3) and the car slows down faster and recovers more energy. Obviously, the car still has normal brakes, so if you push the brake pedal hard enough, the conventional brakes will kick in to get you stopped.

Almost one pedal driving

In the “most powerful” regeneration level, the braking effect is strong enough that you hardly need to use your brake pedal anymore. This is also known as “one pedal driving”. You will feel very comfortable with this new way of driving after a short while.

Depending on the selected regenerative braking mode, the braking lights will light up a soon as you lift the accelerator pedal and the regenerative braking kicks in with a certain braking force.

Ideal in city traffic

At high speeds on the motorway, you won’t always want the regenerative braking system kicking in every time you release the accelerator pedal as this could prove to be counterproductive. In situations like this, you can switch to level 1. In this case, the vehicle continues to roll as freely as possible. Just like you’re used to and without the traffic behind you being frightened by your brake lights.

In congested areas with many traffic lights, or in heavy traffic during rush hour where you have lift the accelerator pedal very often, the regenerative braking system comes into its own. And thus, you can recover extra energy which optimises your range while not putting pressure on your brake pads. Experience shows that once you get used to “one pedal driving”, you don’t want anything else in city traffic anymore.