As sales of electric vehicles continue to grow, innovative technologies being developed by automakers and industry suppliers promise to increase driving range, a common concern among prospective EV buyers, which has limited the growth in EV sales. These three companies are developing new ways to allow electric vehicles to go further on a single charge without changing battery technology.

BMW: A suspension that charges the car’s batteries

BMW filed a patent in Germany to recharge EV batteries using the kinetic energy of the vehicle’s suspension as it drives along, according to documents discovered by CarBuzz. As the suspension responds to bumps in the road, an actuating disc connected to the suspension control arm would spin a flywheel that drives a generator, producing electricity. The power could be used to charge either the vehicle’s 12-volt battery or its high-voltage traction batteries, […]

image : Courtesy of Honda