Advanced Vehicle Hybrid Energy Recovery

A Novel Suspension-Based Electromagnetic and Thermal Harvesting Coupled with Regenerative Braking

Abstract

Vehicle suspension systems dissipate substantial mechanical vibrational and thermal energy during normal driving, representing an underutilized opportunity for energy recovery in electric and hybrid vehicles (EVs/HEVs). This study proposes a tri-modal hybrid energy recovery architecture integrating electromagnetic suspension (EMS) harvesting from vertical oscillations, thermoelectric generation (TEG) from damper waste heat, and conventional regenerative braking within a unified power-conditioning framework. Analytical models based on Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction and the Seebeck effect are developed to characterize subsystem performance and are experimentally validated using a scaled quarter-car model. The model incorporates linear electromagnetic harvesting, thermoelectric modules supplied via a controlled thermal gradient, and a DC–DC conversion stage for energy storage in a lead-acid battery. Experimental results indicate that the integrated hybrid configuration yields approximately 120 J of net usable energy per test cycle, with subsystem contributions of 61% from TEG (73 J), 29% from regenerative braking (35 J), and 10% from EMS harvesting (12 J). The reported battery-endurance improvements relative to operation without regeneration were 9.1% for RBS alone and approximately 27% for the hybrid configuration. These endurance gains are distinct from the net usable energy ratio: the hybrid total of 120 J is approximately 3.43 times the 35 J attributed to RBS alone. Several subsystem electrical quantities (notably the EMS operating current and the RBS operating voltage/current) are back-calculated from reported power and energy totals rather than independently measured, and the reported 9.1%/27% endurance figures are test outcomes that the accompanying voltage-response plot supports only qualitatively; both caveats are stated explicitly where the corresponding values are derived. Although thermoelectric conversion efficiency (∼5%) and low magnetic field strength (∼0.1 T) impose practical limitations on TED and EMS performance respectively, the results demonstrate that coordinated multi-modal energy harvesting can significantly enhance overall energy recovery potential. The proposed architecture provides a scalable framework for improving energy efficiency and extending effective driving range in next-generation electric vehicles.