Car of the Future Will Run on Its Own Waste Energy
[social_buttons]
Amerigon, BSST and Thermoelectric Energy
Amerigon’s BSST subsidiary has already applied thermoelectric recovery principles to heating and cooling systems. It’s a logical choice for the project, having developed the highest-efficiency thermoelectric technology achieved so far. The program kicked off in 2005 with a team including Visteon Corporation, BMW, UC Santa Cruz, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the California Institute of Technology’s Jet propulsion Laboratory. Ford joined the project after analysis and concept phases established a fuel savings of up to 12% in simulations, and the thermoelectric system was bench-tested in the lab using hot gas instead of actual exhaust. Phase 4, which is drawing to a close, involves testing the system on a BMW six-cylinder engine.
Cars as Energy Harvesters, and Energy Generators
The new technology promises a sea change in the way we conceive of cars as energy users – and producers. For example, an electric car that harvests solar energy could also incorporate BSST’s thermoelectric system, while generating kinetic energy as it passes over a roadway – and using available wind as an additional power source. In the not too distant future, cars that run only on fossil fuels will be just that – fossils.
Image: KoS on wikimediacommons.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy