Researchers build mini Jeep that turns tire friction into energy

A newly developed nanogenerator could make vehicles more efficient by deriving power from the friction of rolling tires.

The technology works by harnessing the changing electric potential between a vehicle's tires and the road. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were recently able to demonstrate the device using a miniature remote-controlled Jeep.

An electrode installed on the tires produces contact charge called the triboelectric effect, which initiates a surge of electrons.The flow of electronics powers LED lights installed on the shrunken four-wheeler.

Scientists are now looking to scale up the technology and use the nanogenerator as a solution to on-the-road energy waste. The emerging technology was recently detailed in the journal Nano Energy.

"The friction between the tire and the ground consumes about 10 percent of a vehicle's fuel," Xudong Wang, a material scientist at UW-Madison, said in a press release. "That energy is wasted. So if we can convert that energy, it could give us very good improvement in fuel efficiency."

The energy potential, researchers say, is dependent on the size and weight of the vehicle. The bigger the car, truck or bus, the bigger the potential savings.

"There's big potential with this type of energy," Wang said. "I think the impact could be huge."