BMW aims to capture the energy generated by bumps during a journey to transfer it to the batteries of an electric vehicle.
What if every time your electric car hits an obstacle and takes you into a nasty jump, it fills up your batteries for free?
BMW develops a new kind of suspension
And we are not content here with wishful thinking, since a patent has already been spotted. Electrek thus echoes a discovery of carbuzzwhich uncovered a project along these lines filed by BMW at the German patent office.
It would be a suspension that would be able to absorb the energy produced by the wheels of the vehicle when it has to face the shock caused by the encounter with an obstacle. The development of such a part would be a small revolution, the suspension being traditionally an energy consumer in its activity of supporting the movement of the wheels.
In detail, the prototype designed by the German manufacturer makes it possible to capture the energy generated during the bump, which is then transmitted to a generator unit which converts it into usable electricity in order to recharge the vehicle’s battery.
A device already soon in production?
It is not known exactly when such a suspension will be available. But it should be noted that automakers are currently taking the electric vehicle sector by storm, to the point that the king of the field Tesla has seen its market share shrink in the United States for several years.
BMW will soon make a major leap in the race with the release of the very first electric model for its famous high-end 7 Series sedan, which will take the name of i7. Will the German giant take the opportunity to install its suspension there, in order to make this model even more attractive?
And if so, will it make it available to all consumers, or make it an option? As a reminder, the firm wants to put on sale an annual option at $1,200 for its electric vehicles which will allow them to go from 0 to nearly 95 km/h in one second.
Source : Electrek
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