[orange4boy]

I've been beltless on my 3500lb Previa for almost a year now. The only time it's a bit tough is at a standstill. If you are even creeping along it's just tougher than with power. At speed it's just a tiny bit harder than with power. Every vehicle is different though. I just tried to turn my mother-in-law's little Honda Fit stopped with the engine off and boy was that tough! (tire pressure was low though.)

I like the idea of an on- demand clutched pump but setting it up is beyond me and a total unknown. If, by chance, the shafts on the A/C and P/S pumps are the same that may be a simple swap but I'm not holding my breath.

I do know of EVs with electric A/C but most swap to a manual rack or choose a donor to avoid all this complexity. There may be someone who has done it. You could check the EV forums. It's probably not worth the FE to do all that work.

If I could set something like this up I would probably use it for parking only since in my van under speed it's easy to steer.