alternator switch modification in mod list?

[saand]

Hi All,
I had an idea about installing a switch for the alternator so that I could turn it off during normal driving and enable the alternator when breaking or when the battery voltage gets low.

I had a search for this idea and I have seen a few threads around about others that have done it but I haven’t seen anyone say it has worked for them or not.
(I may not seen all threads on the topic though)

So the question to the group is, has anyone performed this mod and had success in helping their efficiency and was it done with the stock car battery or was a deep cycle used.

Ideally I would like to put this mod in the wiki mod list but I would like to hear at least 1 person getting good results before I put it up.

[Daox]

I'm pretty sure a couple guys have done it. The main problem is you can only use the alternator while engine braking since the engine must be spinning to spin the alternator. A good ecodriver minimizes brake use so much that this really doesn't allow for a ton of regen. Even if you did move the alternator to a driveshaft or something, the braking power it would provide is next to nothing.

In order to disable the alternator for any prolonged amount of time, you need a deep cycle battery. A starting battery will die very quickly when deeply cycled.