Tech developed to generate electricity from inside tyres

An ' Energy Harvester' is being developed that could see tyres generate electricity whilst driving.

Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University in Japan, together with Falken’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, have developed the technology that takes advantage of the build up of static electricity, known as frictional charging, to produce power efficiently as the tyre turns.

Inside the Energy Harvester are two layers of rubber each covered in an electrode, along with a negatively charged film that interfaces with a positively charged film. When fixed to the inside of a conventional tyre carcass it generates electricity as the tyre deforms during rotation.

Engineers believe the Energy Harvester could lead to practical applications as a power source for sensors used in TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems) and other automotive devices without the need for batteries.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries will now advance this research with support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency.