[TWIAR] Ramp creates power as cars pass

[Greg Williams]

Ramp creates power as cars pass 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/4535408.stm

The ramps generate up to 50kW of power
A road ramp that uses passing cars to generate power has been developed.

Dorset inventor Peter Hughes' Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp creates around 
10kW of power each time a car drives over its metal plates.

More than 200 local authorities had expressed an interest in ordering 
the £25,000 ramps to power their traffic lights and road signs, Mr 
Hughes said.

Around 300 jobs are due to be created in Somerset for a production run 
of 2,000 ramps next year.

Plates in the ramp move up and down as vehicles pass over them, driving 
a generator.

"The ramp is silent, comfortable and safe for vehicles," Mr Hughes said.

Inventor Peter Hughes spent £1m developing the ramps 
Depending on the weight of the vehicle passing overhead, between five 
and 50kW can be generated.

The prototype was created and tested at Hughes Research unit at the 
Westland Helicopter base in Somerset, at a cost of £1m.

The concept has been developed by Dorset-based Mr Hughes over the past 
12 years. He recently approached councils across the country with the 
final patented project.