So I was reading about the new Ford Fiesta the other day and saw that it (as well as many other new cars, and especially hybrids, it just clicked now for some reason) uses electric power steering. So, there is no load on the engine from the power steering, minus the electric load, and thats only under set conditions. What a great idea. So, I thought to myself, how can I do that with my car? Get a motor and pulley, or couple them directly. Relocate the PS pump off the engine. Setup a circuit to kick in the electric motor when your under say 20 mph, and/or when you are actually turning the wheels. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?
However, my question is, how much power does it take to spin that pump? Is it even worth the time of doing any of this work if it only sucks .25 hp? Probably not. Would it be better to just try to get a manual rack for the car? Possibly, but you loose the niceness of power steering.
Wikipedia seems to think that you'll see a 3% gain from going to electric power steering. Thats roughly 1 - 1.5 mpg in either of my cars.
Thoughts?