Test: Alternator vs. no alternator = 10% MPG gain @ 70 km/h

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Cobb

you dont want to do that as it will generate hot spots and maybe even stress. Frankly, not sure you can guess when it should be off or on.

Cracking the cylinder head or engine block isn't very economical, always have at least some coolant flow going all the time.

[radioranger]

In case you haven't noticed the prices on panels is down around 2 $ a watt now delivered, i recently bought two 30 watt panels for my boat and the delivered price was 114 $ check on ebay for the size you want, perhaps a few panels you could magneticly stick on roof or trunk when parked would do the trick for stop and go driving . I always thought if you cut output wire you would blow the regulator for the alt, maybe mine is different . i did put a larger puley on and it made a difference you could feel, not so much from the energy difference but from the change in momentum from accelerating the rotor when going through the gears, new grille block on Ranger has netted me 1.5 MPG more over stock , steady 50 mph cruise two tanks full test,

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by radioranger

In case you haven't noticed the prices on panels is down around 2 $ a watt now delivered, i recently bought two 30 watt panels for my boat and the delivered price was 114 $ check on ebay for the size you want, perhaps a few panels you could magneticly stick on roof or trunk when parked would do the trick for stop and go driving . I always thought if you cut output wire you would blow the regulator for the alt, maybe mine is different . i did put a larger puley on and it made a difference you could feel, not so much from the energy difference but from the change in momentum from accelerating the rotor when going through the gears, new grille block on Ranger has netted me 1.5 MPG more over stock , steady 50 mph cruise two tanks full test,

Oh wow, that's a good price!
Thermoelectric generators that are any good (well, that generate a useful amount of power at all, I think good would be an overstatement) run ~6 dollars per watt, but you'd have more reliable power than solar.

[njlou]

Hi The concept of shutting down the alternator does have merit.
Forgive me if it has been covered before, but the latest models of BMW have a sophisticated computer controlled system which cuts off the alternator if the battery charge is above 80% and puts it on when the car is coasting or the brakes applied, or if the charge goes below 80%. The alternator provides (some) drag to slow the car and at the same time charges the battery.
Think of it as a mini regen system.
There is no reason you couldnt do it manually. Like a switch on the brake and another one elsewhere?????
I think they claim ~2% increase??

[Mario_Marques]

Originally Posted by njlou

Hi The concept of shutting down the alternator does have merit.
Forgive me if it has been covered before, but the latest models of BMW have a sophisticated computer controlled system which cuts off the alternator if the battery charge is above 80% and puts it on when the car is coasting or the brakes applied, or if the charge goes below 80%. The alternator provides (some) drag to slow the car and at the same time charges the battery.
Think of it as a mini regen system.
There is no reason you couldnt do it manually. Like a switch on the brake and another one elsewhere?????
I think they claim ~2% increase??

Yes, but, there's a "but" the bmw is already prepared for that technology, has a massive battery in the trunk that costs a little fortune(about 260 us dollar).
People on drag races used to turn of the hidraulic steering assists and alternator, and it makes difference, but they remove it phisically(they remove weight).

[njlou]

Originally Posted by Mario_Marques

Yes, but, there's a "but" the bmw is already prepared for that technology, has a massive battery in the trunk that costs a little fortune(about 260 us dollar).
People on drag races used to turn of the hidraulic steering assists and alternator, and it makes difference, but they remove it phisically(they remove weight).

So true!! BUT they have tons of accessories/computers which many of you dont have.
They have guidance systems, stereos, electric power steering, electric water pumps, electric fuel systems. You can see that they need a massive battery even without this added "greenery".
Also theirs is an automatic computer controlled system. I propose a simplified/ modified system. I think it may be adapted on a manual basis. It may be worth a try???
From what I see on these threads you are almost there.

[radioranger]

I dont know if anyone mentioned this yet but you could imbed some magnets in another pulley and take voltage off some nearby coils, maybe the crank pulley or the water pump to genreate a nominal amount

[Frank Lee]

Yeah, that sounds like a piece of cake!

Once I considered direct-driving the alternator via coupling from the crank; on the intended application not only was there no room for an alt in that location (even with mods), it would have been pointless to add an idler pulley to the crank and water pump pulleys for belt tensioning when the alt itself serves that purpose so nicely. Besides, the rpms would be too low with direct drive.

[radioranger]

well I agree , nothing is ever as easy as it seems but supplementing a solar pack could be considered or a combo solar , plug in and get home/ daytime cruise, coil /magnet charging system might be pretty simple, combine it with a lithium quick jump start pack for emergency starting, I think all you need to generate electricity is a magnet set a coil and a rectifier, not an engineer but should be straight forward to a machinist / mechanic didnt motorcycles use magnetos to run the lights back in the day?

[hackish]

Originally Posted by radioranger

I dont know if anyone mentioned this yet but you could imbed some magnets in another pulley and take voltage off some nearby coils, maybe the crank pulley or the water pump to genreate a nominal amount

Also known as an alternator. Check out the law of conservation of energy.

-Michael