Converting the energy of a moving automobile into an efficient power source for that same automobile is one of the Holy Grails of motor transport, and new research suggests an important part of the solution could be to look at the friction generated between car tyres and the road itself.
Engineers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US have developed a nanogenerator that’s capable of harvesting the energy produced by the friction of a tyre rolling along the ground.
For those aren't going to RTFA no matter what: Their test vehicle was a toy car, so I've got some concerns about whether or not this will scale up to full-sized models. But if it does, it could potentially vast increase the range of electric cars, or allow them to use smaller batteries.
(Score: 2) by penguinoid on Wednesday July 08 2015, @07:47AM
It doesn't need to scale up with vehicle weight. It needs to be more energy-efficient than a rubber tire. That's the hard part.
And then, if it is to be of widespread use, it needs to be cheaper than other improvements that could be done instead (eg engine, aerodynamics).
RIP Slashdot. Killed by greedy bastards.