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Bumpy Roads Could Power Our Cars
Audi is developing a technology that’s pure genius. Electric dampers in a car’s suspension would actually capture lost energy from hitting bumps in the road. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!
The technology is called eROT, which honestly isn’t the most attractive acronym ever. It stands for electromechanical rotary damper. Each electromechanical damper is powered by a 48-volt battery, which is mounted to the axle.
Not only can this tech capture some of the energy from the suspension compressing and rebounding, the fact it’s electronic means Audi can tune the compression and rebound strokes. That means a huge improvement in handling, as if Audis don’t already handle well enough.
Think of eROT as kind of like regenerative brakes, only not annoying. It won’t power the whole car, but it can supply electricity for a few systems. The design is vertical instead of horizontal, so interior space in vehicles should increase, at least according to Audi.
So when should we see eROT on a production Audi? For now, the Germans aren’t giving any details. They’re only saying the technology is “certainly plausible.” In other words, don’t get your hopes up too high, because Audi could end up fumbling this potentially revolutionary technology.
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