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Simulation was employed to estimate the fuel economy enhancement from the application of an exhaust heat recovery system using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) in a series hybrid. The properties of the thermoelectric elements were obtained by self-assessment and set as the conditions for estimating the fuel economy. It was concluded that applying exhaust system insulation and forming the appropriate combination of elements with differing temperature properties inside the TEG could yield an enhancement of about 3% in fuel economy. An actual vehicle was also used to verify the calculation elements in the fuel economy simulation, and their reliability was confirmed.

To practically apply thermoelectric technology in commercial use, improved performance in thermoelectric materials are said to be necessary in general. However, there is no frame of reference that illustrates how far away from optimal performance a material may be, nor is there any information indicating outstanding issues or possible applicable approaches that could improve system performance other than improvement in performance of thermoelectric. Application of thermoelectric in automobiles should require special design philosophy compared to general applications, but there is not enough information pointing out these special requirements.