TECHNOLOGIES OF USING ENERGY HARVESTING SYSTEMS IN MOTOR VEHICLES - ENERGY FROM SUSPENSION SYSTEM

The automotive sector is characterized by a high energy demand related to the use of fuels and maintenance of vehicles in technical readiness. Currently, more and more often solutions are sought that will save energy and cause less losses in the so-called wasted energy. Most of the energy, about 60%, generated from internal combustion engines is dissipated despite the constant efforts of engine manufacturers to improve their economic and ecological properties. In addition, energy is generated in road vehicles from other components, e.g., the suspension system. As a result, systems are being sought to recover some of this energy to power certain sensors and vehicle systems. This study presents energy recovery systems in road vehicles. Based on a literature study of the presented research of various research centres, it was noticed that there is a huge potential in the recovery of energy lost in the vehicle suspension systems. Research shows that it is possible to obtain a regenerative power value of several hundred watts, which depends on the type of vehicle and the road type on which the vehicle is traveling. An area that has been little explored, but also has energy potential, is the recovery of energy from the internal combustion engine suspension system in the engine compartment. This article presents technological solutions for the energy harvesting from the vehicle suspension system and preliminary studies of the potential energy recovery from the suspension of the 4-cylinder in-line diesel engine in an off- road vehicle. It is also important that energy recovery systems have application potential in traditional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, as well as modern vehicles with hybrid or electric drive.