Regenerative Braking Capabilities in E-Bike Vehicles: Comparison Between two Drive Architectures

A comparative study between two regenerative braking strategies implemented on a 100 kg (bike + user) overall mass e-bike system is presented. The simulation models are built in MATLAB Simulink® environment and a commercial in-wheel direct-drive brushless DC (BLDC) motor is assumed as benchmark electrical machine. In the paper, a brief literature review about regenerative braking is firstly presented. Secondly a simulation comparison between two drive schemes is reported. The first scheme is composed by a buck converter and an inverter with six-step commutation. The second scheme, however, doesn’t have the buck converter and uses two different Pulse Width Modulation techniques to control the inverter for motoring function and electric braking function. The aim of the work is to study the possibilities of the implementation and the advantages of this kind of brake, useful for extending the autonomy range of a LEV.