What is the benefit of recuperation in an electric vehicle?

Recuperation (regenerative braking) means the electric motor works as a generator when you lift off the accelerator or brake. Instead of turning all the car’s motion into heat in the brake discs, part of that energy is converted into electrical energy and fed back into the battery. That’s why answer 3 is correct: energy is recovered during deceleration/braking.

Because some of that otherwise “wasted” energy is reused, the vehicle needs less energy from the battery for the next acceleration, so the practical driving range increases. That’s the idea behind answer 1. The effect is strongest in stop-and-go traffic or hilly routes where you often slow down, and smaller at steady motorway speeds where you barely brake.

Since the motor already provides a lot of the braking effect, the mechanical service brakes are used less often and less intensely. That reduces brake wear and brake dust, and can extend the life of pads and discs, which is why answer 2 is also correct. A rule of thumb: smooth driving and anticipating traffic maximize recuperation and range, while hard, last-moment braking usually forces more use of the friction brakes and wastes more energy as heat.