Ford is taking the time to trumpet technology that’s let drivers go further by stopping gradually. Specifically, the Blue Oval says the various versions of its regenerative braking systems have generated enough energy to offset the use of 100 million gallons of fuel, Wards Auto writes.
Ford’s first production car with regenerative braking was the 2004 Escape Hybrid, but regen brakes have been used on various Fords for decades. Trial versions of the feature, which captures kinetic energy generated from slowing down and saves it in the vehicle’s battery, dates back to the 1990s with Ford’s limited production Ranger and Ecostar (pictured) electric vehicles.
Ford’s spent the past couple of decades cutting weight off of those systems while boosting their efficiency. The automaker now says that it can recapture as much as 95 percent of the braking process’ kinetic energy, though stresses that a driver who brakes slow and steady will let the system store a lot more energy than one that tends to slam on that left pedal.
