Tire that makes electricty
 

https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motora...134602398.html


Tire that makes electricity???

Quote:

The first, dubbed the BH-03, combines two fairly advanced technologies to generate electricity from the tire itself that could help recharge electric vehicle batteries on the road. A weave of thermoelectric fibers transforms the heat generated by the tire's friction with the road into energy, while piezioelectric material does the same using changes in the tire's shape as it moves. Goodyear didn't suggest how much energy such a set of tires could potentially create, but said if put into production could ease EV owners' range anxiety.

Interesting concept. That specific tire/wheel combo pictured wouldn't last long in a real driving environment with potholes curbs etc.

I wonder what kind of rolling resistance they will wind up with?

Remember, you can also put linear generators on your shock absorbers. Those don't make enough power to bother with, though. This may turn out to be a similar deal...

-soD

Potholes would make more electricity due to the tire's deflection lol

How does it transmit the power to the car? A bare end of a wire rubbing on a stationary plate at the center hub?

Chances are the friction of that would cancel out the gains. It would have to be via two electrically isolated bearings, or possibly some form of magnetic induction set up.

It takes work to generate electricity. Every watt of electricity generated is added rolling resistance. The total increase in rolling resistance is equal to the electricity generated divided by the efficiency of generating that electricity.

It's a variation of the old perpetual motion scheme of connecting a generator to the front wheels to drive an electric motor on the rear wheels.

I think that regenerative shock absorbers have a better prospect at being practical.

I agree that it doesn't seem practical. But the tyre is deflecting anyway, using this deflection to generate electricity will add resistance to the tread deforming, basically making the tread stiffer and reducing rolling res. Problem for us would be as you raise tyre pressure the energy generated will drop.

True. A shock absorber converts suspension movement into heat by churning a fluid. A regenerative shock absorber would convert that movement into electricity instead of heat.

The downside is that smooth roads would generate very little electricity, and regenerative shocks would be heavier than standard shocks. Regenerative shocks would be perfect for somebody driving on washboard gravel roads.

Here is a different method: New nanogenerator might set energy-generating car wheels in motion

I was thinking of taking piezo electric actuators and putting them around the outside of a tire. That should take the deflection of the tire and create power. Two of them on one square foot tiles were supposed to produce 150w from one 150 pound person walking on them, so having a couple hundred around the outside of the tires could make much more power.

The power produced by these systems are generally regaining "power" lost to the tires deflection otherwise producing heat in the tire. I don't think it could run an electric car directly but I do believe it could take the load of an alternator, say 80-100 amps

Heh. How about installing them in the floor in a high-traffic area? :)

Not exactly. What causes the heat is the internal friction of the materials being deflected. Adding the piezo-electric actuators adds another amount of resistance and would increase the RR - and that becomes sort of like a perpetual motion machine.