BMW patent would use bumps in road to generate power

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BMW is working on a new suspension design that would allow its electric vehicles (EVs) to generate energy via speed bumps and other blips in the road. That’s according to a document dug up by CarBuzz and a new patent filing verified by The Verge, which shows a novel suspension design that could charge an EV’s battery using bumpy roads (and perhaps the generally underfunded road infrastructure scattered across the U.S. and Canada).

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When a wheel strikes a bump or a hole in the road, the energy from the suspension moving up and down in the vehicle is effectively squandered as heat energy. The patent’s tech innovation incorporates a small generator, flywheel, and clutch in the suspension to capture that energy and use it to charge the EV battery instead. It could also power a conventional 12V automotive battery.

Early speculators gather the system could be used on a future electric flagship model, like the BMW i7, but no formal announcement has been made.

The practice of transforming kinetic energy from poor road infrastructure isn’t new. In 2016, Audi announced it was developing a prototype suspension addition called “eROT,” for “electromechanical rotary dampers,” with a similar design. However, the project has yet to reach production.

The BMW patent was registered in May 2021 and published online in late November 2022.