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Extraction and utilization of automotive waste exhaust heat is an effective way to save fuel and protect the environment. One promising technology for this purpose is the thermoacoustic engine, where thermal energy is converted to mechanical energy in terms of high amplitude oscillations. The core component in a travelling-wave thermoacoustic engine is its regenerator where the process of energy conversion is mainly realized. This paper introduces a strategy for the design of the regenerator for applications in typical light- and heavy-duty vehicles. Starting from 1-D linear thermoacoustic theory, the nonlinear effects (given by the high amplitude oscillations) are modelled as acoustic resistances and introduced into the basic linear equations to estimate the nonlinear dissipations in the regenerator. Then, a few dimensionless parameters are derived by normalizing these thermoacoustic equations.