REGENERTEK
Kinemagnetic Strut
Energy Harvesting Regenerative Strut
Electric vehicle range is a problem that has been one of the considerable deciding factors as to why consumers divert from purchasing an electric vehicle; and although there are many technologies that have been developed in order to resolve the issue, many still feel discomfort from the thought of "range anxiety". Existing technologies include rapid charging technology in order to recharge vehicle batteries faster in a shorter period of time, advancements in battery energy density in order increase battery storage capacity relative to battery size have been considered as well. Regenertek will focus on regenerative technologies, which involve the recovering of wasted energy or the harvesting of energy from the interaction between the vehicle's surrounding environment and vehicle components, characteristics and dynamics, similar to regenerative braking.
The KINE-MAGNETIC Strut
The Regenertek team has developed a new method of harvesting waste energy produced by the interaction of the vehicle with the road surface, the Kine-magnetic strut. The following system resolves the same issues as that of the regenerative braking system which is increasing the range of an electric vehicle and decreasing overall carbon emissions of the electric vehicles. The Kine-magnetic strut also resolves issues associated with conventional automotive strut assemblies such as vehicle ride quality, vehicle stability, suspension degradation, durability and reliability. The combination of regenerative braking and suspension would provide a strong system for vehicle energy harvesting,
allowing for the increase in electric vehicle range and reduction in vehicle carbon footprint.
The Kine-magnetic Strut essentially houses a linear generator which has been optimized to perform during low amplitude- high frequency vibrations similar to those associated with mild road vibration, while still being able to provide a comfortable ride quality due in part to the magnetic dampening that occurs within the generator and secondary gas damper.
Energy Harvesting Efficiency
In order for the Kine-magnetic Strut to be efficient in regenerating power, multiple iterations of the strut were developed, tested, redesigned and optimized in order to ensure a system that is robust and capable of producing sufficient amounts of power. The strut was designed with considerable emphasis on the configuration of the linear generator and the material chosen. For example the linear generator is configured with custom coils and high coercive force magnets arranged in layer with coil layer on the inside and outside circumference of the magnet rings and spacers. The final design resulted in a linear generator that was able to produce sufficient electrical power at range of different amplitudes and frequency, while still providing dampening to ensure comfortable ride quality and agile cornering.
The following graph shows the performance of the strut at various amplitude and frequency vibration.
road to the future
As motor vehicle requirements demand lower emissions and the eminent eventual depletion of
fossil fuel sources, it is estimated that the necessity of electric vehicles will continually increase. The problem that exists among all electric vehicles is that, the distance that these vehicles can travel with the use of electrical energy is dependent on the capacity of the battery and the ability of the vehicle to sustain and manage the battery reserve and regenerate energy. Carbon emissions of vehicles and the abundance of waste energy are an additional two issues that can be resolved through the improvement of smart regenerative technologies. Currently there are regenerative technologies available on the market such as regenerative braking. Although this is one effective way of using waste energy to prolong battery life, there are many additional places energy is wasted in a moving vehicle. For vehicles to continue to make a
progress toward carbon neutrality, all forms of waste energy must be considered for regeneration.
Regenertek hopes to take a major step forward in the evolution of hybrid and electric vehicles by enhancing their emission reduction capabilities. Regenertek hopes to open new possibilities for regenerative technologies that will become standard in the automobile industry of the future.