Borla reveals innovative plan to convert exhaust heat to electricity

[Gorehamj]

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
6/24/2015

Borla, the exhaust company we all know and love, has partnered with Alphabet Energy in a novel approach to energy recovery. The idea is to capture the waste-heat in the exhaust stream of a vehicle. That energy will be converted to electricity using Alphabet Energy's thermoelectric technology. Once converted to electricity, the power can be used to support the alternator, replace the alternator, or to power vehicle components using electricity.

 

Pointing out that the exhaust heat makes up about 60% of the total energy generated from gasoline in a vehicle, the new system being studied would take back five to 10 percent of that energy for use in the vehicle. Alex Borla, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Borla, commented on the idea, saying, “Our customers count on us to deliver the highest quality exhaust products while also helping them manage their most pressing challenges for the Class 8 truck fleet operator, and that’s fuel efficiency. As we expand into new markets, it’s our vision to combine Borla’s state-of-the-art exhaust and filtration technologies with thermoelectrics, and Alphabet Energy is the ideal partner to fulfill this vision.”

 

If the technology proves successful in large vehicles it could later be scaled to fit light trucks. Read more about how the technology works now at this link.

 

[ember1205]

While I think it's fantastic that companies are looking at ways to leverage otherwise "lost energy" in new ways, I'd be curious to know exactly how much electrical energy is actually able to be produced.

 

Additionally, it seems there's a bit of a "flaw" in a product like this: The goal is to reclaim about 10% of the total energy contained in a gallon of gas (40% produces power, 50% would be "lost", and 10% would be converted to electricity). The EPA's goal is to reduce the amount of gasonline burned per mile, which would in turn reduce the total amount of electricity that could be generated per mile. So, how could there be a possible future where the alternator was completely replaced if we're continually looking for new ways to reduce the amount of "waste" energy that would be available to generate electricity?

 

Here's the math: Assuming I burn one gallon of gas for ten miles of driving, I would have 1/10 gallons of gas worth of energy per 10 miles of driving that could be converted to electricity. EPA standards pushing the MPG levels up might eventually land me at 20 miles driven per gallon of gas burned. This means that I would burn only HALF a gallon of gas after driving 10 miles, and I would have only HALF of the wasted energy available (compared to before) to convert to electricity.

 

Again - I think it's great that companies are working on things like this, but it seems that it's a pretty long way off from being a potential replacement for the alternator (especially as we add more and more motors to our vehicles for power windows, power seats, power lift gates, etc.).