Automotive parts supplier ZF Friedrichshafen has partnered with the US-based Levant Power to develop new regenerative suspension systems and make it ready for volume production as well as market launch.
The new regenerative suspension will feature valve technology comprising a control unit, an electric motor and an electrohydraulic gear pump that will be fitted to the outer side of the damper developed by ZF.
The gear pump will be driven by an electronically controlled electric motor to regulate the oil flow to the damper in order to allow it to automatically adjust according to the driving conditions.
ZF Car Chassis Technology Suspension Technology business unit head Rolf Heinz Ruger said the company is looking forward to working closely together with Levant Power.
"The objective is to develop the world's first fully active and regenerative suspension, make it ready for volume production, and introduce it to the market," Ruger said.
Levant Power founder and CEO Shakeel Avadhany said, "Ride and handling are at the core of the driving experience. With GenShock-technology, ZF and Levant will reinvent that experience."
According to the company, the new suspension system is expected to guide the oil in the damper to drive the electric pump motor, which would then function like a generator to convert the kinetic energy generated into electricity and feeds it into the vehicle power supply.
