NASA has been using thermoelectric generators in deep-space probes to turn radioactive heat into electric energy for years. "Popular Mechanics" points out that the auto industry could use the same technology to recapture some 60 percent of the energy cars waste as heat, primarily through the exhaust. There are at least three practical ways it would help. Thermoelectric generators could power a car's electric system, augment propulsion and replace the air conditioner. To be sure, technical hurdles exist, but with the likes of Coleman and Igloo already employing these generators in their beer coolers, the cost and efficiency problems are probably only speed bumps. And the fuel savings are immense, as "PM" points out: "A thermoelectric cooling system could replace the air conditioner, saving a billion barrels of oil day if it was adopted by 90 percent of vehicles by 2020, according to [Department of Energy] DOE projections."
Sources: Popular Mechanics, Green Car Congress
