The law of conservation of energy states energy cannot be created or destroyed. This law is the basis of how regenerative braking systems on vehicles like the Toyota Prius->ke231 and F1->ke190 cars work. Instead of letting that energy go to waste, the heat created by braking is then transferred back into electrical energy and stored in a battery pack – later used to power electrical accessories or electric motors. This recent video->ke278 released by Toyota->ke88 shows just how much energy a race car stores from regenerative braking after one lap around the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The TS040 normally uses the energy saved from regenerative braking to power its electrical motor, but in this video, that energy is used to generate the heat needed to make breakfast for 171 people – that’s one cup of coffee, a half slice of toast and one-third of an egg. Pretty amazing when you consider Kazuki Nakajima – the first Japanese racer to take pole position in the 24 Hours of Le Mans->ke1591 – only made one simulated lap around the 8.469-mile track. It is an interesting video that really puts things into perspective as far as energy loss goes. The video isn’t quite as interesting as some, but it’s certainly worth a look. Enjoy.

Toyota Racing TS040 Hybrid

Read more about the Toyota Racing TS040 Hybrid here.