X Prize Chevy Blazer is back, now with regenerative shocks
Back at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, we talked with Jim Stansbury, the founder and CEO of the Physics Lab of Lake Havasu, about his company's slightly quixotic quest to modify a Chevy Blazer so it wins the Progressive Auto X Prize. Stansbury and his crew are now also operating as Regen EV Shocks because of a new addition to the Blazer: hydraulic shocks that generate electricity while driving. It works on the computer, as you can see in this flash demo, but just how much energy the truck can gain from these is something that'll be proved by the numbers on the road. Speaking of which, Stansbury told AutoblogGreen that the system might produce around 5-10 kW/hr. I asked if speed bumps would produce more energy and he set me straight on that account. Read all of his response after the jump.
Gallery: X Prize Chevy Blazer
[Source: Jim Stansbury / Regen EV Shocks]
Email from Jim Stansbury:
The energy is not a constant, and if I had a donated Tahoe Hybrid, I could give you an exact number. But since we are light that $50k at this point, we will interpolate.
The speed bump is more a nuisance than anything, because it is a bump. Actually, there is constant road variation
on the streets @ less than 35mph typically, about 1 inch constant shock travel.On the highway there is less frequent large variation, just because most highways are relatively smooth, with less potholes.
So, the simple answer is just that as a kW number, from combining all 4 wheels, the magic number seems to lie near 5-10 kW/hr on a big heavy vehicle like ours. That is maybe 10-15 hp. Not much, but, when you make it for "free" after the initial investment, it can be of value. Since you cannot manufacture gas or diesel fuel as you travel down the road, but you can electricity, it has worth. It is not the magic bullet, but when you substitute that number instead of an extra battery bank purchase, it has value. Likewise, if we take that electricity and use it to convert water into hydrogen, to help efficiency and emissions of an IC engine, there also is value.
How much does it cost? Another holy grail type question. How many do I make, who makes them, and so on. These are economy of scale questions, along with more hard data and testing info, that remains to be figured out. $5k?
So to answer your question, I think there are some variables that are still untested, and that will progress as we have more time with the vehicle. The extra weight is perhaps 1-200# max, so the ROI, and retail price, is still not an exact number yet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brn 11:41AM (11/14/2008)
I've no idea if this will ever be practical, but it's a neat idea.
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GoodCheer 2:03PM (11/14/2008)
Sebastian, just because the dude says something like
"the system might produce around 5-10 kW/hr"
does not mean you need to repeat it. I assume you know (by now) that kW/h is not a unit of power. Its not a unit of anything actually.
From the conversion to hp, I infer that he means kW.
I also can't help but think that that number is WAY high: it would be a huge amount of energy to reject as heat on a standard shock absorber. I know dampers get a bit warm, but not as warm as a [10kW / 4wheels = ] 2.5 kW heater.
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Chris M 1:37AM (11/15/2008)
The energy to bounce the tires up and down comes from the forward momemtum, irregularities in the road tend to slow the vehicle and the drive motors must compensate for that.
These shocks will recover a portion of that energy that would otherwise be lost. Those shocks won't actually produce extra power, just reduce the losses.
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summazooma 7:00AM (11/17/2008)
Actually, his answer does not smack of hyperbole and makes some sense. He's not promising anything but the gathering of energy that's already there and, small though it may be, of "some worth". Also, he seems to admit that a larger vehicle, because of it's weight, has greater potential (energy?) than smaller, lighter vehicles.
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summazooma 7:02AM (11/17/2008)
Gotta say, having Lake Havasu in the name of the company is kind of like calling it the "Physics Lab of the Pussycat Lounge"... He'd be better off calling it something like the Arizona-California Physics Lab (or AC Physics Lab)
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gvoll 10:57PM (11/30/2008)
If you watch the video of this regenerative shock absorber, you would think that the shocks need to be replaced. If this automobile was in a situation were you would have to react quickly, say a child in the road, the body of the auto would roll and lose control.
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kdmyers 10:18PM (11/22/2009)
Yes, they may be able to add some control to the shock through the electronics to help keep the vehicle stable and still generate electricity. Or maybe a combination of electric and hydraulic controls.