System and method for optimal battery usage in electric and hybrid vehicles

摘要

A method and apparatus (FIG. 1) for optimizing recharging of batteries (20) in an electric or hybrid vehicle that uses an electric motor (35) powered by the batteries (20) and having a regenerative system (10) that uses mechanical forces of the vehicle to generate current to recharge the batteries. The output of the regenerative system is controlled (15 and 35) to supply a maximum amount of current to recharge the batteries immediately after termination of a pulse or continuous discharge thereby to recapture a larger portion of the discharge current (FIG. 3) and the battery voltage is monitored (35) during recharge and the voltage is controlled (15) during charge so that it does not exceed a predetermined value at which battery gas evolution takes place (FIG. 2), thereby permitting the battery to be charged to a relatively high state of charge.