Audi has come up with an interesting concept called ‘eROT’ dampers. So what exactly do these do? In a nutshell, Audi’s electric rotary dampers are believed to replace their traditional tube dampers in the future.
But that’s not all, the interesting bit is what it does in addition to damping duties. Ulrich Hackenberg, chief of research and development at Audi, referred to their development of a component called the ‘generator suspension’ some time ago. These generator suspensions had the capacity to convert the damper’s kinetic energy to electric power. It has to do with rotations, which is why ‘eROT’ now makes sense. So, how does it work?
This technology works when Audi’s electromechanical rotary dampers are fitted to the rear axle, which are in-turn connected to the independent rear suspension with vertical links. As and when the suspension encounters undulations, the links move up and down, and an attached gearbox converts this linear motion into a circular motion. This rotates an alternator which then produces electric power! A 0.5-kWh lithium ion battery situated in the boot stores the energy produced, and Audi claims these dampers can make an average of 100 to 150 watts on German roads. With the poor state of our Indian roads, Audi’s promising technology looks brighter, and can help keep the battery fully charged at any given time!
With such an easy flow of electric propulsion, Audi can now concentrate on the development of other avenues of performance management.
