A new material, thallium-doped lead telluride, could make cars more efficient by converting heat wasted through engine exhaust into electricity. The material is almost twice as efficient as existing technology.
Roughly 25 percent of the energy produced by a car engine is used to move a car, whilst 60 percent is lost through waste heat — much of which escapes in engine exhaust. A passive device made form the new material can capture heat exhaust and convert it into electricity, thereby making the engine more efficient. The technology can also be used in power generators and heat pumps.
The technology was developed in a joint effort between the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State, Osaka University, and The California Institute of Technology.
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Now that's clever technology! Is there a working prototype?
Written in July 2008