On 10/08/2013 23:55, charles wrote:

and my Mazda 6 diesel does both those things. It uses the regenerated
energy to power the starter.

It's not alone - but not to the same extent. Your starter doesn't need
10s of kilowatts for several seconds every time you slow down, which is
what regenerative braking can provide. An electric car can, and must,
make use of this energy.

Their problem is on a motorway when you don't brake.

Andy