Goodyear's heat-gathering concept tire aims to charge electric cars as they drive

Do those tires come in different sizes? Can I install them on my track car, and charge the battery as I fly down the track ?LOL
 
The problem is that any energy generated by the motion of the tires (piezoelectric doodads) has to come from somewhere. if the tire was more rigid, it would roll better and require less energy to move it forward, and the gains you get from the rigid tire would blow the doors off anything you could get from the added weight, complexity and cost (not to mention the energy lost converting motion of the tire into electricity adding its own heat) of these tires.

it really is like trying to put an extra wheel on the car to run a generator. while it seems like a great idea if you don't know anything about physics, it's a terrible idea, since you lose energy to friction and the heat generated by your wires. (the added weight would make this a net-loss idea even with superconductors.)

you're better off with a solar cell on the roof of your car. it's cheaper, generates more power, and doesn't change your traction.
 
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