Reflex: Real-Time Topology Change Towards Enhanced Energy System Efficiency
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Energy research and automotive engineering often optimize individual components while leaving fixed system topology unchanged. This Communication argues that protected, real-time topology change within a Reflex-Policy architecture can act as a system-integration multiplier across energy harvesting, storage and use. Historical transitions from carburetion to electronic injection, turbocharging and regenerative braking show how sensing, actuation and control create value at the system level. Two illustrative cases quantify the opportunity. In a 3 x 3 photovoltaic proof-of-concept under partial and moving shadow, protected substring bypass followed by MPPT increased aggregate static power by 73.2% and representative dynamic energy by 31.5% in behavioural simulation. In a Model 3-class LFP battery extrapolation, selective non-dissipative charge injection could reduce correction time by 4.2-8.3 times and intentional balancing heat by approximately 89% relative to 240 mA passive balancing. These figures are simulations and engineering extrapolations, not final hardware measurements. The same local-evidence, bounded-action and supervisory-policy contract can scale from cells and micro-harvesters to vehicles, buildings, microgrids and utility assets.
Source: Preprints.org
Author: Pietro Perlo
Language: English
Subfield: Automotive Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204179420