A vehicle equipped with and electric-power regenerative braking system rolls down a hill of height H from rest with the brakes disengaged. At the bottom of the hill, the brakes are engaged and the vehicle comes to rest in t seconds. If the vehicle has mass m and the braking system is able to convert ηB percent of the kinetic energy into electric power generation, derive expressions to answer the following in terms of height H, mass m, time t,
and the power conversion efficiency ηB.
(a) How many 15 Watt compact fluorescent light bulbs, L, can be lit up?
(b) If there is no battery system installed, how long will the light bulbs glow?
(c) What is the rate of heat production by the braking system?
