"The plates are able to generate up to 30 kilowatts of energy an hour, enough to power 3,000 light bulbs."
Dealers could install kinetic energy ramps to recoup and save on electricity costs at their showrooms and workshops.
Vehicles drive over plates placed in the road surface.
Each road plate houses individual steps and each step captures the weight of the vehicle and initiates a series of pumping actions that turn a generator, ultimately producing electricity. The system works with cars travelling at slow speeds up of up to 30mph.
The plates are able to generate up to 30 kilowatts of energy an hour, enough to power 3,000 light bulbs.
The technology is being trialled by Sainsbury’s at its supermarket in Gloucester to power its checkouts in the store. The Dragon Power System is developed by Alternative Energy Source Technologies (AEST), a US-based company specialising in alternative energy.
Dealerships would have to accommodate a DPS Power House within 100 feet of the road plates to house and redistribute the electricity.
A similar system has also been developed by Dorset inventor Peter Hughes.
His Highway Energy System electro-kinetic road ramps cost about £25,000 and generate around 10kW of power each time a car drives over the plates.
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YES: 57.9%
NO: 42.1%

06 July 2009, 09:10