Regenerative Shock Absorber designed by Tufts University

Regenerative Shock Absorber designed by Tufts University

If you're dissatisfied with your hybrid's fuel economy, Tufts University has your back. Two engineering professors there have developed shock absorbers that use electromagnetic generators to convert intermittent linear motion to electrical power. In non-nerd-speak this means that energy from your tires moving up and down over the road's surface is changed into electricity which can be used to charge your hybrid's battery.

The typical shock absorber changes the excess energy into heat which is absorbed by shock oil (i.e. it's wasted). The regenerative shock absorbers could theoretically be combined with regenerative braking and solar panels on future hybrid vehicles to increase fuel economy.

While there are no plans to use them in production vehicles yet, Electric Truck, LLC has optioned commercial rights to the Tufts University technology. If the field testing is successful, this may be the next logical step towards more efficient hybrids and ultimately, all-electric vehicles.

Source: gizmag