Exhaust Electricity For Efficiency Gains Thermo electrics produce electricity when they are heated and what better way to use them on a car than by applying them to the hot bits of the engine, like the exhaust.

Since the internal combustion engine uses around 30 per cent of the energy burnt for the powering the car, the rest goes to waste therefore the potential for recovery is great.

Researchers at the Ohio State University and California Institute of Technology claim to have developed a way of improving fuel efficiency by 10 per cent through the use of thermoelectric materials. They claim that the material would be ready between five to ten years and can cost as little as USD 10 per car of produced in a large enough quantity. If the material produces enough electricity from exhaust heat, we may see future cars that do not need to have heavy alternators weighting it down and dragging the engine.

Thermo electrics are already in use in compact refrigerators. Just as heat can help produce electricity, the material can also absorb heat when electric current runs through it.  ¶ 10:17 AM