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.

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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 donâ€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.