Providing copper strips on highways, especially at the bottom of steep inclines to generate power as heavy traffic such as trucks and busses (equipped with magnets on their undercarriage) drive over them. Haven't really thought this through to much, so be gentle... :)
-- Argentaffin, Jan 18 2007

HB idea Roller_20coaster_20power
This idea did not get any (+) or (-) vote on HB some 2 years back. I think it is quite similar to [Argentaffin's] idea [vedarshi, Jan 19 2007]

This idea is called "Turning gasoline into electricity" a dedicated generator is more efficient than stealing momentum from passing vehicles.
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Jan 18 2007


Ah, but it's a *steep incline,* and Argentaffin probably intends to put his strips only on the down side. Many of the trucks would be applying their brakes, thus wasting that energy.
-- ldischler, Jan 18 2007


Although it would be more efficient for the truck to capture and store that eletrical energy itself, it would add to the cost of the vehicles, so likely not be implemented. (+)
-- ed, Jan 18 2007


please see the link. No (+) or (-) from my side.
-- vedarshi, Jan 19 2007


If your idea had any votes, vedarshi, they were lost in the great crash of 2004. Jeez, it seems just like the other day.
-- ldischler, Jan 19 2007


This requires a retrofit of both the road and vehicle. I would just stick with regenerative braking with an electric system. It would allow for more versatility of the road and the vehicle.
-- twitch, Jan 19 2007


I also intended that they be used as emergency braking areas for trucks that lose control over steep inclines. Fitting regenerative braking would also work, but would only benefit the vehicle itself as opposed to providing power to a regional grid.
-- Argentaffin, Jan 22 2007


[ldischler] //If your idea had any votes, vedarshi, they were lost in the great crash of 2004. Jeez, it seems just like the other day//

My idea had received many annotations but no vote. Do I need to mention that the great crash of 2004 had nothing to do with voting?
-- vedarshi, Jan 23 2007


[Argentaffin] If only regional grid was to get benefit of power generation, it could be a great idea for them even to create artificial hills. Let the trucks move uphill at their own fuel expenses & the grid receive power while them moving downhill, without paying a single penny.

Otherwise, install metering system, let each truck stop on plain road after coming downhill, receive payment for power fed to grid ... and... zooooooom happily. To hell with traffic jam.
-- vedarshi, Jan 23 2007


/Do I need to mention that the great crash of 2004 had nothing to do with voting?/

I am sorry your idea got no votes. [ldischler] refers to the fact that the crash wiped clean the vote tally of any extant idea.
-- bungston, Jan 23 2007


[bungston] I distinctly remember that there was not a single vote for my idea,(+) or (-), and there were only annotations. The votes for other ideas were getting registered during that period.
-- vedarshi, Jan 23 2007


Maybe you could put the magnet in the road and Bumper heights are uniform on trucks by law. Maybe some sort of brush system can make contact? Does the truck have to be copper for that to work? I know it is almost twice as convoluted.

I think, large steel objects are already weak magnets unless they are degaussed. Many lights change based on this principle with a car's magnetic field triggering the light change at a light traffic intercection. Germans used magnetically triggered devices to sence passing ships. I have heard of people stealing electricity by putting an antenna under high voltage lines. I think you can gather some electricity from this and no one would complain. I just can't imaging a way to make it cost effective. Truck manufacturers might offer the option for magnetic bumpers if you subsudised their construction and you might be able to convince some dedicated haulers of it's effectiveness but it would probably sap them of some kinetic energy all the time. I never took electricity and magnatism but I am sure there is always some resistance involved in any induced current. This is probably a constant, naturally occuring phenomena akin to making a truck less aerodynamic. Truckers might voluntarily tow a magnet sled down a specific hill if it slowed them down enough to make it worth their time. and you would have to get enough electricity to pay for the trip back up. You might as well make regenerative braking sleds into a self contained unit that grabs on to truck bumpers Marty McFly style. You would probably want most of the generation outside of the sled to minimise the amount of stuff you have to drag back up the hill. and incase there was any excess energy to use.
-- MercuryNotMars, Jan 23 2007


excellent. I'm sure the 1cent worth of electricity will more than overcome the energy use in
1) carrying the magnets around everywhere
2) manufacturing said magnets
3) shipping said magnets around to where the trucks are made
4) marketing the new great feature
5) compensating for the loss of jobs in the disc break industry
6) installing copper at the bottom of every hill
7) working out how a copper strip and a magnet are likely to generate electricity... unless I missed something in Physics for 8 year olds (more than possible).
-- neilp, Jan 23 2007


//Haven't really thought this through to much// marked-for-tagline, shirley?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 20 2007


//working out how a copper strip and a magnet are likely to generate electricity... unless I missed something in Physics for 8 year olds// As the owner of an 8 year old, I can tell you that a magnet, moving past a wire, generates a current.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 20 2007


//As the owner of an 8 year old//

Where did you get it, and how much did it cost?
-- nuclear hobo, May 20 2007


By the title I was expecting something to follow slackers, tweens, boomers, etc.
-- normzone, May 21 2007


//Where did you get it, and how much did it cost?//

Where they come from, you wouldn't imagine wanting to keep anything that came out of.

What they cost, depends on how long they live. Mine aren't dead yet, and they've cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars, untold hundreds of hours of sleep, an arm, a leg, my hair and the air dam under my truck.

I love 'em anyway.
-- elhigh, May 28 2007



random, halfbakery