Shock absorbers generate electricity

(photo by Zachary Anderson from the NY Times)

Here's an article in the New York Times (registration required, though it's free) about a new invention, shock absorbers that generate electricity when you hit a pothole:

A new type of shock absorber under development by the Levant Power Corporation converts the bumps and jolts of vehicles on rough roads into usable electricity.

Usually, shock absorbers dissipate the energy of bouncing vehicles as heat. But the new shocks can use the kinetic energy of bounces to generate watts, putting the electricity to use running the vehicle’s windshield wipers, fans or dashboard lights, for example.

The devices, called GenShocks, can be installed both in ordinary and hybrid vehicles, lowering fuel consumption by 1 to 6 percent, depending on the vehicle and road conditions,...

Neat, huh? It's clever thinking like this that keeps us increasing fuel economy. At the same time, the increasing cost of fuel makes these kinds of inventions practical. If we'd been smart, we would have greatly increased the tax on fossil fuels years ago, when they were still cheap - using the proceeds to pay off the deficit, lower income taxes, and fund alternate energy research.

Of course, that might have been difficult politically. And not all of the money would have been spent wisely (a large pool of money being irresistible to politicians). But it would have been far better than sending America's wealth to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other oil-rich, but despotic, nations.

The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 should have been a wake-up call for America. Instead, we foolishly frittered away the time, completely wasting the opportunity. As a nation, we just weren't very smart...