The characteristics of heat inside a parked car as energy source for thermoelectric generators

Under a condition of sunlight exposure, the temperature of a parked car’s cabin will increase gradually. Compared to the ambient temperature, the inside and outside temperature will be different, which will be favourable for thermoelectric generators. This study investigated the temperature distribution pattern of a car parked in the direct sun using real and model cars. Performing different scenarios, we found that the car model equipped with a fan and a dimmer was the suitable approach to the real car model. Compared to the ambient temperature, results for both the real car and the model car indicated that heat rose drastically inside the car cabin. The calculation using the thermoelectric generator eTEG HV37 considerably could generate up to 6.9 mW per module. Therefore, by having a thermoelectric generator installed on an area of 1 m² of the car roof, 280 W power could be generated.