How Tires Could Provide a New Energy Source

Engineers are constantly looking for ways to improve cars, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a group from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (along with a collaborator from China) are developing technology that will take advantage of friction.

Which part of the car would friction be applicable to? The tires, of course. Sometime in the near future, your discount tires from Cincinnati may actually improve your car’s fuel efficiency. Curious how that’s possible? Read on after the break…

These UW-Wisconsin engineers have created a nanogenerator that will take the energy from a car’s rolling tire and use it to benefit the car. According to Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs.com, a nanogenerator is a “system that can convert mechanical or thermal energy created by small-scale physical change into electricity.” This energy (or, has it’s properly known, this “triboelectric effect”) can be produced by rubbing two objects together… like rubber tires on an asphalt road!

As Huffman explains, the nanogenerator would essential work as an electrode, conforming itself to a small section of the tire. When that part of the tire touches pavement, the friction would create an electrical charge, which is subsequently “captured” by the electrode. The most important factors in determining the amount of energy is the car’s weight and the traveling speed.

To test the technology, the engineers attached a nanogenerator to a toy car’s wheels. As the car rolled, an attached LED light flashed off and on, indicating that their work was a success.

The general hope is that the nanogenerator will improve a car’s efficiency, thus reducing the vehicle’s fuel consumption. UW-Madison associate professor Xudong Wang believes the technology could lower a car’s fuel consumption by 10%.

“Regardless of the energy being wasted, we can reclaim it, and this makes things more efficient,” Wang told Huffman. “I think that’s the most exciting part of this, and is something I’m always looking for, how to save the energy from consumption…There’s big potential with this type of energy. I think the impact could be huge.”

Even if this technology is ultimately perfected and commercialized, it probably won’t be seen in new cars for quite a while. Regardless, any bit of news that suggests improved fuel consumption is good news in my book.

In anticipation of the nanogenerator, head down to McCluskey Chevrolet for some new tires. This way you’ll be ready when the time comes to utilize this innovative technology.