BMW wants to get electricity for electric cars from potholes
Hardly anything is as important for electric cars as the range. Large batteries and a dense network of charging stations should help. But the manufacturers are working on alternatives to get the last few kilometers out of it. BMW now has an exciting patent ready that is supposed to supply fresh electricity while driving.
BMW patent: charging the e-car with potholes
Charging the battery not only when charging is stopped, but also while driving is something of a supreme discipline for many electric car manufacturers. Exactly in this BMW could clear with a new patent. The streamers from Bavaria should do it get energy out of uneven roads and potholes, with which the range can be increased.
The online portal CarBuzz discovered a corresponding technology at the German patent office. The suspension of the wheels is connected to a generator. Instead of wasting the energy that gets into the springs from the vertical movement of the wheels on uneven ground, the generator converts it into electricity. Then she can stored and used in the battery will.
The technology is there not necessarily limited to electric cars. The energy gained via the dampers can also be used as a backup to charge the classic 12 V battery in the combustion engine. The patent leaves open how efficiently the system will work and how much electricity can be generated while driving. But it will have to provide a nice plus, otherwise Bayern would probably forego the development effort.
This is not the first time that BMW has used unusual technology for its electric cars:
Extra range only for expensive electric cars?
According to CarBuzz, it should not be that small. Therefore, one expects that the new technology first in expensive top models will be used and could probably also be offered there for an additional charge. For the cheaper Stromer, which according to BMW boss Oliver Zipse should be built in the future, it would probably not be intended.
Since it is only a patent so far, it cannot be said with certainty whether the technology will even be ready for series production. If so, it will probably take a while before the top models from BMW get such a range boost.
