I was reading a US News magazine the other day and it showed a diagram of the hybrid cars. It showed that electricity was generated by the the heat created while braking. Obviouly this is bogus. Did anyone else read this article on hybrids and what did you think of it.

But the Prius battery recharges while braking, isn't the process called regenerative braking? Well, at least the newer Priuses do, not sure about the older models or other makes even since you're saying hybrids and not the Prius specifically.

Regenerative braking yes, but not through use of heat. The wheels turn a generator -- the same device that a moment ago was acting as a motor ..

It's likely just a case of bad physics. What the diagram likely was trying to convey was that had the energy not been recaptured, it would have been lost in the form of heat like traditional cars? I don't know if that's how conventional cars usually work, but that's the physics logic here (right or otherwise).

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