Technical Jargon: Regenerative Braking

One of the reasons electric cars are so efficient is that when they are slowing down they do so by using the motor instead of the brakes. The motor acts as a generator and recharges the battery as it slows recovering the energy that would be lost to heat with normal brakes.

This is called regenerative braking, or regen braking. It is the same kind of system that is used in Formula 1 motor racing.

One of the benefits of regen braking is that the mechanical brakes are not used much and so they do not wear out and it is not uncommon for brake pads to last the life of the car!