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posted by martyb on Sunday October 30 2016, @07:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the Shocked!-Shocked-I-say! dept.

Boosting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles by "harvesting" the energy generated by their shock absorbers and feeding it back into batteries or electrical systems such as air conditioning has become a major goal in automotive engineering. Now, a University of Huddersfield researcher has made a breakthrough by designing a new system and constructing a prototype that is ready for real-world testing.

Ruichen Wang carried out the project to obtain his doctorate at the University and has published his findings. The article, in the journal Energies, is titled Modelling, Testing and Analysis of a Regenerative Hydraulic Shock System. It provides a summary of current progress in the field of vehicle energy harvesting and a detailed account of the theory and the practical development of his device, designed for installation in a heavy good vehicle.

An abstract is available: DOI: 10.3390/en9050386

Why not also a stirling engine to make use of solar gain in parked cars on sunny days?


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2016, @01:13PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2016, @01:13PM (#420498)

    Submitters or Editors could have done more research before posting this as a breakthrough, the concept is old and various attempts have been made to "harvest" the damper energy. Levant Power http://levantpower.com/site/trucking/ [levantpower.com] is one company that is still chasing the problem. They may have some sales to military vehicles but I'm not sure what keeps this company afloat?
    This page is about their truck product which claims:

    GenShock provides primary ride control for a truck axle through semi-active, regenerative capability. Regeneration from GenShock can reach up to 200W per axle, used to relieve alternator strain on the engine when pumping power. The amount of power is dependent on the road roughness. The semi-active control of GenShock allows the damper to stiffen and relax based on truck payload and road input to keep the wheels on the ground while dynamically adjusting to avoid harsh shocks transmitted to the chassis. Semi-active capability also allows for gross body movement control thereby enhancing ESC (electronic stability control) and improving safety of the vehicle.

    In the context of a heavy truck, 200 watts isn't much, so the reason to pay for this expensive system has to be for the ride benefits of active damping.