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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckm
But here's where my cogitating went: What if I added a couple more batteries and used it to power a small motor mounted in the current location of the alternator? Could I disconnect the motor's drive pulley and use the motor to drive the accessories?
Okay, what's wrong with this idea? Surely I'm missing something.
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Even better - run the alternator
as a brushless motor. This requires no modification to the car. You can get PMA generators on ebay, generally for windmills and such, that are nothing more than car alternators which have had the wound stator replaced with high-power magnets. I saw a thread on Rcgroups.com about doing exactly this, using an alternator made PMA as a high-power brushless motor with an off-the-shelf castle creations HV 110 ESC.
How to Convert an Alternator to A Motor - Page 11 - RC Groups
That ESC costs $180 and can handle 50 volts and 110 amps. There is even a 140 amp version. That would be 7000 watts, or around 9 hp. It is sensorless, so you don't even need to add anything to the PMA.
I don't know to what extent it makes sense to supplement the engine with batteries though. At some point you're better off building an EV. I don't know where the line lies