New Suspension Generates Power From Bumps and Curves

Every time your car bounces or sways, energy is being lost to the ether, and two companies have developed a way to harness that energy to boost fuel economy while keeping your ride taut and smooth.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Levant Power Corp. have created the world’s first active suspension system equipped with an energy recovery function. It’s called the GenShock and if an automaker signs up with the project, it could hit roads within the next few years.

The principle behind the system is to recoup lost energy from the motions of the suspension and then feed that power back into the car’s electrical system. Students at MIT developed a similar system in 2009, and claimed to generate enough power to replace a vehicle’s alternator.

The system from ZF and Levant uses active dampers that change the pressure inside the shock based on the type of road surface, and a new valve mounted outside the shock, along with a control unit, gear pump, and electric motor, controls the flow of fluid, smoothing out the ride. When there’s an overabundance of motion created by braking, accelerating or running over rough terrain, fluid is pushed through the pump, driving the electric motor and converting the kinetic energy into electricity. And the rougher the road surface the more energy it can create.

Even better, because each shock can be individually controlled, the system can push more fluid into the shock to raise or lower the vehicle, so the car jack’s days could be numbered.

Source: wired.com