Exhaust-Based Generator System for Mass-Produced Automobiles Set to Improve Fuel Economy
April 30, 2009
Related To: ThinGap Motor Technologies
ThinGap Automotive announces the Turbo Generator, a subsystem for increasing fuel economy of mass-produced vehicles by generating electrical energy from vehicle exhaust gases before being emitted into the atmosphere. The company expects significant fuel savings in the US and European fuel economy test cycles and all other vehicle operating modes as well. “Up to 40 percent of fuel energy for internal combustion engines is lost through exhaust gas, a large portion of which the Turbo Generator converts to electricity, which can help Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) meet the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulation that requires a 40 percent increase in fuel economy,” said Rean Pretorius, CEO of ThinGap Automotive“ThinGap Automotive’s innovative technology generates power up to extremely high rotational turbine speeds, making the direct drive Turbo Generator a space-efficient and cost-effective solution” said Gerhard Delf, Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Delf spent 18 years with Volkswagen and concluded his tenure as Chief Engineer, Power Train & Emissions of Volkswagen, USA. “This is the first turbine generator that fits into the engine compartment of passenger cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks and can be installed in these vehicles under assembly line mass production conditions.”The Turbo Generator directly increases vehicle fuel economy by a variety of methods, including:· Supplying electric power to the vehicle’s electrical system, allowing for use of smaller alternators or no alternators· Driving engine accessories electrically that are currently crankshaft driven (e.g. water pump, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor) without increasing the alternator size· Directly driving the flywheel motor of semi-hybrid vehicles· Supplementing the energy supply to the battery system of full hybrid vehicles, thereby reducing the required on-time for the internal combustion engine