Transforming
kinetic energy into electricity doesn't often get
taken seriously, but at least one Burger King joint has been hooked on to the idea. The New Jersey-based outlet is set to give the first roadtest to MotionPower strips produced by New Energy, which harness energy from vehicles passing over them. Based on the thinking behind
regenerative braking in hybrids, the energy absorbers are made up of small plates moving up and down. UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's recently introduced similar "kinetic road plates" in its car parks, and hopes are they'll generate 30 kW per hour from the energy and weight of cars overhead. Sainsbury's plans to power store checkouts through the scheme, whereas Burger King will just exploit your energy to power various appliances. Provided someone doesn't sue for unlawful energy appropriation and the roadtest is successful, New Energy hopes to expand the use of its power strips to other high-traffic, low-speed locations like toll booths and intersections. Video after the break.
[Via
Jalopnik]
Read - New Energy PR
Read - Sainsbury's PR
posted July 15th 2009 6:12AM
Maybe we can install these in keyboards.
The video shows different examples of how this idea could be implemented, I'm curious about the scene where they use this technology to decelerate the cars. I'm not really understanding why the community/companies should install generators everywhere in the ground instead of just develop new breaks for the cars with some sort of electrical generating function and combine that with a hybrid veichle so that the energy absorbed while breaking can be used to power the veichle. I think this will be easier to implement in the society. And if they find out afterwords that their idea don't work they won't have to rip up the asphalt again ^^
If they really wanted to save the planet they would install a low power conveyor belt and ask patrons to turn off their vehicle while moving through the drive through.
But, but my car has to work harderrrr.. stop being babies and conspiracy theorist you haven't even seen this
But what about the manufacturing process? Have they done the math and calculated the environmental impact of creating the mechanism?
I was reading an article a while back in Wired, that stated a Hummer is better for the environment than a Prius. The impact on the environment to mine the nickel for the batteries, and then don't even get into the disposal of the batteries, more than cancels any goodness the little hybrid touts.
I can't believe the amount of moronic comments here. This system won't make you use more gas people.
Yes it will. Look up "conservation of energy".
Why don't they install treadmills instead? That would have multiple benefits.
Even better would be a Gladiators style reverse travelator at the entrance to the place.
I just want to know what happens when a stone/dirt/whatever gets underneath those "tails" and you run them over.. this things would not last 2 days!
Physics, people. Energy does not appear from nothing. BK is essentially stealing energy from your car, and at an efficiency which is less than if they ran their own gasoline generator, since besides the extra gasoline you will be burning, there is additional energy lost in the form of internal friction in their "plates".
Not only that, but also consider energy costs to build the thing in the first place. In effect, some of BK's energy usage will be provided for free by the gasoline engines of their customers, with a net loss of efficiency.
Just like the last post about the super-market with a similar idea, you people don't understand were the power comes from. The potential energy in the WEIGHT OF THE CAR is converted to kinetic energy by releasing the energy downward and absorbed. "wasting your gas" is an unintellegent response to this.
Amen brother. Some people think they are super smart because they took a few physics classes (in high school most likely).
Fundamentally: the rolling wheel force of a car while braking (you hit the brake and you still are rolling) is transferred to an actuator. The hybrid still charges it’s battery (I drive one) and instead of rolling over the road you roll over a rubber bump less than 1-1/2" inches high. Do you all raise the same big deal over every driveway, curb or road crack you drive over ….
Normally, energy is lost as heat transferred to to the brake pads when stopping. Rather than wasting that energy, the plates could stop your car instead. The plates do not sap the car's fuel energy because they would only be placed where the car needs to slow down. The only problem would be getting drivers to not instinctively step on the brakes, but to allow the plates brake for them. A computer could gauge the next car's speed and modify the resistance of each plate to decelerate the car safely.
Most driver's give more gas than is needed to drive up to a drive-thru just to get there faster, then they have to press on the brakes to stop. By putting in a speed bump, drivers would think to put in more gas; However, if the plates have a modified resistance, the car would always slow down to the same speed the driver would have if he had used brakes instead. It could be said BK leeches gas money from drivers, or it could be said that it is simply taking advantage of the driver's impatience to get to the pickup window.
No extra gas is used because the driver always uses extra with or without these plates.