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I think the electric supercharger offers some advantages, especially if it can be adapted without influencing manifold airflow when not in use. The percentage of time when you need the ability to boost engine power is very small, while the much smaller engine can run at lighter vehicle loads with higher BSFC. Addtitional energy could be recovered when deceleration of braking events are needed.
Since vehicles are evolving into greater percentages of electrical driven steering and cooling systems, then larger alternators with greater charging capacity will be used anyway, as engines go beltless for everything but the alternator, and even beltless altogether if the alternator was driven off the timing chain or balance chain.
I know many here think they are a farce, but for me I just don't feel that way. In fact I think, since engines are almost always operating with some throttle restriction, maybe that same restriction could be utilized to create a small amount of energy that could provide the power for the very low percentage of time when boost was necessary.
regards
Mech
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