During brake testing of a prototype electric vehicle on a straight
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Work and Energy · Work and Energy
Problem
During brake testing of a prototype electric vehicle on a straight, level test track, engineers measure that the braking system removes 2.00×105J of translational kinetic energy as the vehicle comes to rest from its initial speed. The total mass of the vehicle (including passengers and test equipment) is 1.50×103kg.
Ignore rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag during the brief braking event.
(a) Calculate the vehicle’s speed immediately *before* the brakes were applied.
(b) For planning purposes, engineers consider an emergency scenario in which the same vehicle might have to stop from twice that initial speed found in part (a). Determine the amount of kinetic energy the braking system would need to remove in that scenario.
(c) Explain how the result of part (b) influences design considerations for the vehicle’s braking hardware and thermal management compared with the original test condition.