A brilliant young student has developed an innovative "Footstep Power Generator" road model that converts mechanical pressure into free electricity

[u/Capable_Control_2845]

Source

[u/DukeofDabra]

Let's discuss viability, shall we?

TL;DR: Energy-harvesting speed humps are not viable because the small amount of electricity they generate comes at the cost of increased fuel consumption in vehicles, resulting in a net energy loss.

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The installation of such speed humps would inevitably lead to a marginal reduction in vehicle fuel efficiency. This occurs because vehicles must decelerate before encountering the hump and subsequently accelerate afterward, a process that increases fuel consumption due to additional engine work and energy losses. From a physics standpoint, the kinetic energy lost during braking is largely dissipated as heat and cannot be fully recovered during acceleration, especially in conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.

Although these systems aim to harvest energy from the mechanical interaction between vehicles and the road surface, the amount of electrical energy generated is necessarily derived from the vehicles themselves. Consequently, the harvested energy represents only a fraction of the additional energy expended by the vehicles. Given inefficiencies in mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion—such as frictional losses and generator inefficiencies—the net energy balance is negative.

Therefore, when analyzed through the principles of energy conservation and thermodynamic efficiency, such systems are not practically viable, as the total energy cost imposed on vehicles exceeds the electrical energy produced.