For years, engineers have avoided heat in cars to protect components from overheating. Now, this goal is being turned on its head as automakers attempt to harness previously wasted energy for practical purposes such as improving fuel consumption and reducing CO2 emissions.
Even a highly efficient engine can only convert about one-third of the energy contained in fuel to actually propel a car. Two-thirds is lost as waste heat via the car’s exhaust and radiator, according to BMW.
To capture some of this lost energy, BMW is working on a number of promising projects that make use of heat normally lost. The first idea may banish cold starts forever to reduce emissions. The second approach can convert the heat from a car’s exhaust into electricity and the third idea uses waste heat to heat the interior of a car....
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