A new technological advancement may soon allow BMW electric vehicles to harvest energy from potholes and speed bumps. CarBuzz recently discovered a German patent for a new suspension design that can generate electricity from a car's vertical wheel movement. While conserving energy is essential for any electric vehicle, this potential innovation would be unlike anything the market has seen before. CarBuzz believes this invention might appear on one of BMW's electrified flagship models like the BMW i7.
According to Martin Pretorius for CarBuzz: "Traditionally, the energy of a car's wheels as they roll over bumps and through dips is absorbed by the spring elements in the suspension, and that energy is then dissipated as heat by the dampers. That is because wheel movement has traditionally been an annoyance, something to be managed and smoothed out in the quest for comfort and control. BMW has taken a fresh look at the energy stored in suspension springs and found a way to harvest this energy instead of wasting it in the dampers."