Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile
Most cars and all diesels sold in Europe today already have smart alternators.
They disengage when you accelerate, ramp up when you coast, and some ramp up further when you brake.
As such, it's not really necessary to do anything other than charge the battery when parked. On a charged battery my Fiat will go over 100 miles before the alternator starts to cut back in.
If there was any real gain to adding a clutch to the alternator I have to believe that the OEM's would already be doing it as it's simple and proven off the shelf tech that's been on A/C compressors for decades.
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Most people don't Eco-mod and drive. They get in, crank the heat, the air, the lights and radio, and drive for a few minutes. The poor alternator can barely keep up on short drives. I Canada there is such a thing as daytime driving lights, meaning the headlights are always on. Always need to work the alternator a littlest why disengage it? Fuel pumps, computer, it all sucks some juice.