Development of a motor waste heat power generation system based on thermoelectric generators

The development of the thermoelectric (TE) power generation is rapidly conducted as well as the application areas are increasingly. Its principle is based on the Seebeck effect that uses the temperature difference between the hot side and cool side of the thermoelectric generator (TEG) to convert thermal energy to electrical energy. A new design proposed here is to convert the waste heat from a motor of electric vehicle (EV) to the electrical energy by the TEGs. Furthermore, the electrical energy generated could be supplied to the LED lights of the EV or to charge the supercapacitor or the battery. All the system has been described in detail. The TEG technology, its advantage and disadvantage are reported. The electrical and control model of the TEG have also been proposed. The design and experimental results are shown in the paper.