Energy Harvesting Shock Absorbers
Monday, June 8, 2009 at 6:27AM | Share Article 
A team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have successfully created a new shock absorber that harnesses energy from small bumps in the road while also making the vehicle drive smoother on the road. MIT Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say their regenerative shock absorbers are able to offer up to a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency than standard shock absorbers used in most cars today.
Zack Anderson explains the idea behind the project started when they were interested in trying to figure out where energy is being wasted in a vehicle. They discovered some hybrid cars already do a good job of recovering the energy from braking, so the team looked elsewhere, and quickly homed in on the suspension.
They started their testing by renting a variety of different car models, outfitting the suspension with sensors to determine the energy potential, and driving around with a laptop computer recording the sensor data. Their tests showed that there was a significant amount of energy lost by the suspension, especially on heavier vehicles Once they realized the possibilities, the students set about building a prototype system to harness the wasted power. Their prototype shock absorbers use a hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator.
The system is controlled by an active electronic system that optimizes the damping, providing a smoother ride than conventional shocks while generating electricity to recharge the batteries or operate electrical equipment. During testing of a 6-shock truck, the MIT students found each shock absorber is able to generate up to an average of 1 kW on standard road, which is "enough power to completely displace the large alternator load in heavy trucks and military vehicles." If for some reason the electronics on the shocks fail, the fail-safe feature will have the shocks act simply like a normal shock absorber.
They have formed a company, called Levant Power Corp., to develop and commercialize the product they call GenShock. The team is currently doing a series of tests with their converted Humvee to optimize the system’s efficiency. They hope their technology will help give an edge to the military vehicle company in securing the expected $40 billion contract for the new army vehicle called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV.
The group will have a final product ready this summer, when they'll start contacting companies to persuade them to upgrade their shock systems. For example, if Wal-Mart were to convert its fleet of trucks with these new shocks, the company could save $13 million per year in total fuel costs.
Reader Comments (3)
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You've done it once again. Incredible article.
Great creation. Is it already available in the market? This kind of shock absorber would be great for off-road vehicles.