Hyundai has a unique idea to install a wind turbine inside the car bumper

Patent filed by Hyundai US Patent and Trademark Office Show a new way to generate electricity for a vehicle’s electronic systems using wind energy.

It’s a clever idea to take something that already exists and use it to increase efficiency when the vehicle is moving. A set of flaps open and close depending on conditions, allowing air to flow over the car’s front bumper and turbines.

Once air hits the turbine blades, they begin to rotate. Like a wind turbine, they provide energy to a generator, which in turn provides power to the car in the form of electricity.

This is not something that will actively deliver power to the car (sorry, no perpetual motion machine here). Instead, generators will help offset the extra force required to maintain the car, feed climate systems, electronics and deal with wind resistance at highway speeds.

Hyundai’s patents, like all patents, have not yet become a reality. They are a concept. Nevertheless, statements from Hyundai’s patent office suggest that the brand hopes to achieve at least more energy than the current regenerative braking system. These can help add serious range to EVs and hybrids, so the system will have to be pretty efficient to beat it.

In a gasoline-powered application, which the patent also addresses, the generator system should be sufficient to feed power into the 12-volt system and charge the batteries. It can effectively replace an alternator, which will further increase efficiency.

Although patents are always far from becoming reality, the intention behind the concept is telling. Automakers continue to look for ways to make vehicles more efficient, especially EVs, and especially those they want to sell in the US. US EV adoption is vastly different from the rest of the world, with range cited as one of the biggest concerns. In such a fight, every extra bit counts.