Bounce, bounce, charge: Audi working on energy-generating suspension

And now for something that’s bound to make every driver on the planet act in the most mature fashion possible: energy generating suspension!

If you’re not grinning inanely at the thought of that, then we’re sorry and we hope that whatever tragedy you’re currently working through passes in a timely fashion.

The new technology, being developed by Audi, would allow the excess heat from your car’s dampers to be redirected into batteries for storage.

Speaking to the UK’s Auto Express R&D chief Dr Ulrich Hackenberg seemed pretty enthusiastic about the new technology, saying it could eventually find its way into production vehicles.

“What people don’t realize is that dampers get very hot,” he said. “When working hard over a bumpy road, the dampers are perhaps 100 to 125 degrees. This energy is wasted as heat into the atmosphere. So, we will replace the suspension with a generator.”

According to Hackenberg, the generators could have other benefits too. “Because we can send energy back into the damper, you will have an independently variable suspension. This can [counteract] roll [of the car’s body]”, he told Auto Express.