Mazda has announced a capacitor-based regenerative braking system called i-ELOOP that the company claims is the first of its kind. Notably, the system can boost fuel economy by 10 percent and is intended for use not in hybrids but in conventionally-powered vehicles.
Unlike a normal regenerative braking setup, which stores energy recaptured during deceleration in a battery, the i-ELOOP system sends the energy to a capacitor. From there, instead of heading to an electric motor to drive the wheels, the energy goes through a DC/DC converter to step down the electricity from 25V to 12V before being used to power electric components like the air conditioning, sound system and headlights.
By allowing the alternator to do less work, the system is said to pay off in the form of a 10 percent fuel efficiency boost during stop and go driving; gains will be significantly less during highway travel.
i-ELOOP will be eventually be combined with Mazda’s SKYACTIV fuel saving technologies and used in production vehicles, though the automaker didn’t specify exactly when to expect the system to hit the market.
Mazda says that the funky name is an adaptation of “Intelligent Energy Loop” and represents the company’s intention to efficiently cycle energy in an intelligent way.
