Gli ex studenti del MIT Zack Andersen e Shakeel Avadhany formano Levant Power un paio di anni fa e hanno lavorato sull’ottimizzazione delle GenShock da allora. Come le auto con i sistemi tradizionali di sospensione rimbalzano su e giù su buche e strade dissestate, e tentano di ridurre al minimo gli shock che il movimento provoca comprimendo l’ammortizzatore. Dato che la compressione genera effettivamente calore, con conseguente perdita di energia per il veicolo. Invece di rilasciare calore, la GenShock utilizza questa energia per mettere in movimento un turbina. Tale turbina si connette a un generatore che alimenta la batteria della vettura.

Non solo il dispositivo è quindi in grado di generare elettricità, ma riesce anche a prevenire la perdita di calore per risparmiare carburante. Gli sviluppatori dichiarano con i risultati GenShock un risparmio dall’uno al sei percento di gas per ogni auto. Tale cifra può sembrare irrisoria, ma cerchiamo di mettere il dato in prospettiva: nel 2007, gli autocarri medi e pesanti utilizzati dalle imprese hanno consumato 34 miliardi di litri di carburante diesel. Se i camion avessero utilizzato un impianto GenShock, si sarebbero salvati 3,4 milioni di tonnellate di anidride carbonica!

Il GenShock è ancora in fase di sviluppo, ma i progettisti dicono che sperano di avere il dispositivo pronto per il mercato nei prossimi 18 mesi. Nel frattempo, Andersen e Avadhany dicono di aver parlato con produttori di camion ed operatori del trasporto e dei militari circa l’attuazione del GenShock nei veicoli commerciali.

Former MIT students Zack Andersen and Shakeel Avadhany formed Levant Power a couple years ago and have been working on optimizing the GenShock ever since. As cars with traditional shock systems bounce up and down over pot holes and bumpy roads, the shocks minimize that movement by compressing air or liquids. That compression actually generates heat, resulting in a loss of energy for the vehicle. Instead of releasing heat, the GenShock uses that movement to turn a turbine. That turbine connects to a generator that feeds into the car’s battery, powering onboard electronics in standard cars and acting as a power source in hybrid vehicles.
Not only can the device generate electricity, preventing heat loss saves gas. Developers say the GenShock results in a one-to-six percent gas savings for every car. That number may seem paltry, but let’s put it into perspective: In 2007, medium and heavy-sized trucks used 34 billion gallons of diesel fuel. If trucks used a GenShock that reduced each vehicle’s fuel use by one percent, it would save 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide!
As a vehicle moves, its springs absorb the vibrations transmitted to the vehicle from imperfections in the road. The role of an automobile’s shock absorbers is to operate in parallel with the springs; the shock absorbers act to damp and control the action of the springs by dissipating the energy in the action of the springs.
Unlike standard shocks which dissipate energy by channeling fluid through orifices of a reciprocating piston, GenShock routes fluid through a fluid circuit to recover the energy. GenShock uses a specialized manifold and a hydraulic motor coupled with an electric generator to provide damping and harvest otherwise wasted energy. A proprietary microprocessor-controlled power electronics subsystem can dynamically vary damping levels and ensure safe charging of vehicle batteries and on board accessories. In effect, GenShock performs the function of a standard shock while acting as an additional source of power.

The GenShock system is designed for zero-downtime and a usabile lifetime that lasts the vehicle. GenShock has been tested and proven in field use under military duty cycles. While the mechanical system design is similar to a standard shock, less heat is dissipated inside. This characteristic, in addition to high quality components, results in a system lifetime that is considerably longer than standard shock absorbers.

The GenShock system improves ride performance by dynamically changing damping levels based on road conditions. This operates by varying the force feedback on the integrated electric generator. A central controller can emulate standard shocks, allow the driver to select ride stiffness, or continuously vary damping based on conditions.
Each shock absorber is a turnkey, drop-in replacement of standard vehicle shocks. A wire connects each GenShock unit into the central controller installed on the vehicle. This controller, in turn, connects into the vehicle’s electric power system.
The GenShock is still being developed, but designers say they hope to have the device market-ready in the next 18 months. In the meantime, Andersen and Avadhany say they’ve been talking with truck- and carmakers, transit operators and the military about implementing the GenShock in vehicles.