A regenerative shock absorber is a type of shock absorber that converts parasitic intermittent linear motion and vibration into useful energy, such as electricity. Conventional shock absorbers simply dissipate this energy as heat.
When used in an electric vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle the electricity generated by the shock absorber can be diverted to its powertrain to increase battery life. In non-electric vehicles the electricity can be used to power accessories such as air conditioning. Several different systems have been developed recently, though they are still in stages of development and not installed on production vehicles.