Sorry guys, (admittedly I have not read this thread in depth so I could have missed something) I just got this msg and realized that what is being discussed will not work for several reasons.
First, I rebuild Alternators and generators as well as electric motors of all kinds, and am a motor distributor.
A few surface reasons this will not work:
Let's say you remove the slip rings... what do you gain? You must keep the alternator in place for the belts... unless you go electric on water pump...then you are back to needing the Alt to charge.
Let's say you remove the bearings too... then how do you allow the rotor to turn to accomplish the above?
Let's say you remove the rotor with its slip rings and bearings completely and you have developed a belt alternative... ok now we are 3-5 pounds lighter... but then why would you leave the alt housing and stator coil as well as the electronics which all = dead weight... unless you were wanting to utilize its built in rectifier and voltage regulator for the flywheel unit you were discussing... but... in this case, you need a special regulator because most of the units in vehicles are designed to only activate and allow flow at a given voltage, which is defined by the output of your new coils, which are defined by RPMs and coil size/wire diameter etc........
But now we have another problem as the alternator also needs a fan to cool the coils or they burn up the insulation of the wires and they short out... = no charge.
SOOOOoooooooooooo...............................
Solar is a good option if you can maintain 14.4V+/- .4V as is a wind turbine... yes you can throw a shoe at me for suggesting a drag increase......
Or you could go with a weaker alternator... but for the most part you would only save 1-2 lbs max I would assume.
OK, if anyone needs to chat or buy parts to experiment or play, give me a call or email me (but as you can tell, I stay busy and am not a regular email reader).
AAA Alternator Service
3aaltservice@gmail.com
660-263-0984
Ask for John.