The Mission

Our mission is to turn wasted mechanical energy into clean electricity. As a European student team, we are partnering with a Taiwanese deep-tech company to develop and commercialize the ShockHarvester system (also known as SSERS). This innovative module captures the constant vibration and movement generated by a vehicle’s shock absorbers during normal driving — energy that is currently lost as heat. By converting this kinetic energy into electrical power, ShockHarvester can extend the driving range of electric vehicles and reduce overall energy consumption without changing the original suspension design or affecting ride comfort and safety. Through this Europe-Taiwan collaboration, we aim to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy recovery technology and contribute to global efforts in energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

The Challenge

In electric vehicles and scooters, a large amount of kinetic energy is continuously generated by the suspension system (shock absorbers) while driving on roads. However, this energy is almost entirely dissipated as heat and wasted. Current energy recovery systems only capture energy during braking (regenerative braking), but ignore the constant vibration energy produced during normal cruising and on bumpy roads. This results in shorter driving range, higher battery consumption, and missed opportunities for improving energy efficiency in millions of electric vehicles worldwide.

The solution

We propose ShockHarvester, a compact, modular energy recovery system that can be added to existing vehicle suspension (shock absorbers). The system uses a specially designed mechanism to harvest the kinetic energy from the up-and-down movement of the shock absorber. This mechanical energy is then converted into stable electricity through an integrated power management module. The recovered electricity can be fed back into the vehicle’s battery or used to power auxiliary systems. The design is non-invasive — it does not alter the original shock absorber performance, ride comfort, or vehicle safety. It is suitable for electric scooters, electric motorcycles, and passenger cars, and has already received early validation through multiple awards and technical testing in Taiwan.