I’m still new at this so I have I’m curious about how coasting and regeneration work on an electric motorcycle. I’ve noticed most builds directly connect the rear sprocket to the motor. Do motors typically spin freely in the absence of charge allowing you to coast or do they provide resistance which helps breaking and provides a back charge into the batteries.
I’ve seen people state that their cycles have regeneration but no clue as to how they are achieving it. I understand you need a controller built to handle it but I don’t know much more than that.
Can someone clear this up for me?
So the coasting / regen / “engine braking” behavior is entirely dependent on the motor controller. When you don’t apply any power to the motor, and its leads aren’t connected, it will spin freely, with a small amount of mechanical friction.
If you want to achieve regenerative braking, you have to apply voltage to the motor in the opposite direction that it is spinning. This causes work to be done on the motor by the car’s kinetic energy, putting power back into the battery.
If the motor controller doesn’t have regen capabilities, then it will just coast when you let off the throttle.
~Chris Hammond