To improve the energy efficiency of hydrostatic vehicles, this work studies the energy regeneration systems (ERSs) for a battery-powered hydrostatic vehicle (BHV). First, the structure of a BHV with ERSs is presented, and the working principle and performance of the main components are analysed. Three energy regeneration modes (ERMs) are proposed, namely, the battery mode, the battery-accumulator mode and the accumulator mode. The energy flow of vehicle acceleration and braking in the three ERMs are analysed, and the corresponding control strategies are designed. The power output and energy consumption of key system components, the system energy flow, the system component energy consumption, and the parameters and energy consumption of the hydrostatic components are comprehensively compared and analysed. The comparative analysis results show that under the battery mode, the whole system and the hydrostatic system have the highest energy efficiency and the battery-power hydrostatic vehicle can achieve a better energy conservation effect. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.