Transportation Market

Alternator and Air Conditioning Replacement (Cooling and Power Modes)

The Department of Energy and several automobile manufacturers are pursuing the use of thermoelectrics to replace belt-driven alternators and belt-driven air conditioning units as a means toward greater energy efficiency and increased reliability. The goal is a 10% increase in fuel efficiency predicated on the invention of a 20% efficient thermoelectric unit generating electricity from engine waste heat cost-effectively and, equally importantly, cooling the cockpit with efficiency that meets or exceeds the air conditioning performance of 20%. The alternator and A/C compressor each reduce mpg approximately 5%. Strides have been made in every area, but the current thermoelectric devices fall far below the target 20%, demonstrating efficiencies of only 7%. MicroPower Chips are projected to provide efficiencies of 20-30% for both power and cooling which will open this new market.

The near-term applications for the model years 2011 – 2015 are:

• Thermoelectric generators harvesting engine waste heat, replacing alternators.
• Heavy duty truck auxiliary power unit.
• Thermoelectric coolers/heaters replacing air conditioners.

Ordinarily, the time to market in the automotive industry is three to five years. However, vehicle thermoelectric systems are already in early design so our chips will act more as a replacement than a new design, so chip sales to a module assembly partner already involved with the automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can begin in year three.

Seat Cooling (Cooling Mode)

The use of thermoelectrics in the vehicle seats to cool occupants is already a feature in upscale automobiles, with seat cushions designed to transfer heat away from the occupier's body while cooling to the required temperature. Seat cooling technology also allows drivers to use their air conditioning system less frequently, thereby reducing gas usage, and the need for gases such as Freon, which are believed to be extremely damaging to the atmosphere, and are considered to have hundreds of times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of Carbon Dioxide.

The spread of this technology through the automotive industry has been restricted largely due to cost, but it is believed MicroPower’s breakthrough in performance will widen seat cooling to the mainstream.

Solid State Headlamps (Cooling Mode)

The automotive industry has been actively developing high-intensity LEDs to replace incandescent and halogen head lamps since 2004. The use of LED technology reduces the weight of the lamp system and, at the same time, reduces energy consumption. However, LEDs actually produce a significant amount of heat per unit of light output which poses thermal management challenges for plastic headlamp housings.

In addition, this heat build-up materially reduces the light output of the emitters themselves. The need to keep LED junction temperatures low at high power levels always requires additional thermal management measures such as heat sinks and exhaust fans which are typically quite expensive. A MicroPower Chip, as an integral active cooling element of the lamp, would make a cheap and efficient alternative.

Commercial Trucks (Power and Cooling Mode)

Manufacturers of heavy trucks are also pursuing the use of thermoelectrics to replace belt-driven alternators, belt-driven air conditioning units, and in auxiliary power units as a means toward greater energy efficiency and increased reliability. Of course, trucks only make up a fraction of the overall automotive market (approximately 4%), but they travel far more miles annually than ordinary passenger vehicles, often covering 80,000 miles in a single year.

Argonne National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy research facility, estimated that 16 billion gallons of fuel was used by heavy-duty trucks in 2006, in the US alone. If one assumes an even split of diesel and petrol usage, that equates to an approximated $32 billion spend on fuel annually at today's post-spike prices. Clearly a 10% reduction in fuel usage, facilitated by MicroPower Chips, would be desirable for individual contractors and international haulage companies alike.

Trains and Vessels (Power Mode)

In the same manner as road vehicles, trains and water-based vessels can also benefit from generating electricity from the engine exhaust waste heat using MicroPower Chips. Though modern trains are considered more energy efficient than road vehicles, the vast majority are ultimately powered by burning fossil fuels. There were approximately 110,000 locomotives in use throughout the world in 2007, though rail usage varies greatly from country to country - it accounts for only 0.3% of all transport in the US, but 9.2% in France and 27% in Japan.

Sea transport remains the largest carrier of freight in the world, and the International Shipping Federation estimates that there are approximately 55,000 vessels in the world merchant fleet, almost all of which run on a slightly refined type of petroleum called bunker fuel.