A brand new regenerative braking mechanism has recently been presented by Mazda. The system utilizes kinetic power from braking to power the car's electrical system. The system is called i-ELOOP -- or "Intelligent Energy Loop." The machine is designed to make an internal combustion vehicle run as almost as possible like a hybrid car. I found this at: http://www.cardealexpert.com/news-information/auto-news/mazda-i-eloop/

Energy converted

This system converts kinetic energy into electricity. Typically it is just lost in heat. That electricity is then sent to an Electric Double Layer Capacitor, or super-capacitor, for storage.

I-stop system turns motor on and off

Whenever an auto comes to a complete stop, the “i-stop” system will turn off the motor. This Mazda Motors named system will conserve you fuel. The sound system, heating and lights are all part of the auxiliary capabilities. These functions are run off of all the electricity that has been stored. Then, you can get the engine to automatically start. The accelerator gets depressed at that point.

What is saved?

The device is likely to be most efficient in stop-and-go city driving. There was a Mazda Motors press release that came out. It said:

“In real-world driving conditions with frequent acceleration and braking, ‘i-ELOOP’ improves fuel economy by approximately 10 percent.”

What is wrong with it?

Power comes out very quickly out of the super-capacitors that can only store electricity for a short while, as reported by “Car and Driver” arguing against the machine. The super-capacitor only takes seconds to charge though, as reported by the article. The super-capacitors last forever, it seems. You won’t need to replace them ever typically. The same isn't true of batteries.

BMW similar to it

Power is stored while braking in BMW’s EfficientDynamics which is comparable to this. However, the BMW utilizes a more costly glass-mat battery rather than the capacitor.

Accessible in 2012

The system will start appearing in vehicles as early as next year, according to Mazda.

Sources

AT-Top
AutoblogGreen
Car and Driver