Energy System Revamped for More Fuel-Efficient Cars

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Public Release, 22 May 2006 MIT researchers are trying to unleash the promise of an old idea by converting light into electricity more efficiently than ever before. The research is applying new materials, new technologies and new ideas to radically improve an old concept -- thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion of light into electricity. Rather than using the engine to turn a generator or alternator in a car, for example, the new TPV system would burn a little fuel to create super-bright light. Efficient photo diodes would then harvest the energy and send the electricity off to run the various lighting, electrical and electronic systems in the car. Read more