Generating Electricity from Bumps in the Road: Green Vehicles Articles: Eco20/20

Generating Electricity from Bumps in the Road

Assuming a road is at hand, and cars are traveling over it, there are at least two methods for collecting electricity from bumps in the road. The first uses a kinetic road plate system to harvest electricity for property owners. The second uses regenerative suspension, allowing the vehicle itself to recover electricity for its owner.

* Kinetic Road Plate System

o What is it?

Kinetic road plates are mechanisms that can be tucked away under speed-humps or laid into parking lot entryways and exits. When a car is driven over a plate, the system captures energy that would otherwise be lost to solid asphalt. Properly deployed, a kinetic road plate system will gather enough energy to power all of a store's checkouts, and could potentially deliver a return on investment in as little as two years.

o How does it work?

As a car crosses, the plate pushes down on a hydraulic apparatus that turns a generator. When the plates are put under a speed-bump, at parking entryways and exits, or any other place where a car would normally slow down, the plates scavenge the kinetic energy that would otherwise go to waste due to the mechanical inefficiency inherent in slowing a gas powered vehicle. A similar process occurs in many hybrid cars when energy is recovered from the force of braking.

* Regenerative Suspension

o What is it?

Regenerative suspension technology uses devices attached to a vehicle's suspension to increase fuel efficiency and onboard electrical power by recovering energy that would otherwise be lost as heat. Under the brand name GenShockTM this technology has been tested in military vehicles. These shocks are built for heavy trucks, defense applications, buses, fleets, factory equipment, and more. This is an impressive fuel-saving technology that can pay for itself in about a year.

o How does it work?

These very unique shocks actually install pretty much the same as ordinary shock absorbers. Like other shocks, they work in tandem with the springs, dampening motion and hydraulically cushioning the ride. But these shocks pump the hydraulic fluid through a special manifold connected to an electric generator that harvests the previously untapped energy. The generator can then be used to charge batteries or power accessories. In some cases the amount of energy recovered is better than a vehicle's own alternator will provide.

Both technologies are shrinking the oversized environmental footprint of automobiles. But the variety of applications and quicker return-on-investment of the regenerative suspension technology is likely to push it more firmly into the limelight, so it's more likely to find itself splashing around in a bigger investment pool. Watch for it; actually, watch for both. Energy saving technology, in every incarnation, deserves all the support it can get.