The race for ever greener vehicles is, by now, apparent to pretty much anyone. To this end, car making industry giants are pouring millions into research and development.

You need just some basic idea of how a vehicle works to realize that a lot of energy is wasted. For some years now, engineers have been meddling with systems that allow them to capture some of that energy and convert it to electricity, that would then be introduced to the car’s network.

A very good example of that is the regenerative braking system that uses the energy produced by braking to create electricity.

The way to go with the suspension is to convert the oil flow from the damper, which generates kinetic energy for every pothole into electricity that is then fed to the vehicle.

Automotive parts developers ZF and Levant Power are developing a regenerative electric suspension system for hybrid cars that could give even more power to hybrid vehicles.

“We look forward to working closely together with Levant Power. The objective is to develop the world’s first fully active and regenerative suspension, make it ready for volume production and introduce it to the market. Thus, we are promoting efficient innovations that are tailored to meet global requirements,” said Rolf Heinz Ruger, the head of suspension technology at ZF.

The system works by installing a valve, control unit, electric motor and electrohydraulic gear pump to the damper. The valve uses the oscillation of the damper to drive the electric pump and convert the motion to electricity, which will be routed to the hybrid system. The pump allows the damper to adapt to driving conditions by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the fluid in the damper.

ZF and Levant have not said how much power the system could scavenge from the movement of the suspension.

The concept allows for more of the car’s usually wasted energy to be converted to electricity. The system would likely be used in tandem with a regenerative braking system.