Audi is no stranger to the world of energy recovery as they extensively use the technology in their LMP1 R18 e-tron Le Mans racer, in the form of the kinetic energy recovery system or KERS. But the pursuit in finding other ways to recover more power is still in progress as it is said that Audi is now looking at harvesting energy from the suspension system.
Working in a way similar to regenerative braking, Audi is reportedly developing a regenerative suspension system that could collect energy, providing an extra boost of electricity from the up-and-down motion of the absorbers. Audi R&D chief Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg told Auto Express that the automaker is working on such a system. The shocks on a car can get pretty hot, especially on an uneven road and instead of leaving the heat to dissipate into the atmosphere as wasted energy, the new Audi system will collect in with an attached generator.
The energy will then be stored and could be used in multiple occasions such as lessening the workload of the internal combustion engine, improving the fuel economy like how the Mazda i–ELOOP regenerative braking works.
The system could also be used to send power back to the suspension, firming it up for a sportier feel. This could lead to a new breed of adjustable suspension that could soon find its way to future performance cars.
As for the time being, Audi gave no hints on when such system will make it to a production car, or even any race car of theirs. However, Audi is poised in launching a range of plug-in hybrids in the future, so we might see this system being implemented in one of those cars.
