A lot of heat is generated in a car’s engine, and while much of it is used to propel the vehicle, a large amount of heat does go waste and escape with the exhaust gases. GM is creating a system to capture this exhaust heat and convert it into usable energy. There have been many attempts in a similar direction, but GM seems to be leading the pack.
The idea is to use a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire with the engine. The wire has the capability of sufficiently expanding/contracting with temperature changes to be of use as an electric generator to charge the vehicle’s battery. The energy so generated could be used to power the vehicle’s stereo, power seats and air conditioning. GM has received a grant of $2.7 million from the Department of Energy to create a prototype of this system.
Via: GM
