Quote:
Originally Posted by ar5boosted
The counter question to this is how much Solar-Power or Cell-Size is needed to replace or augment this loss [in mechanical efficiency - due to cost cutting at the Alternator factory].
Personally I have a few small Solar Panels that I could easily junk out my cars with.
The question is really how much fuel am I wasting by not charging the battery with those small Solar Panels ?
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I ran a 100Ah panel on my 1.6 for a couple of years. The factory alternator did a good job of keeping the battery full. On a sunny day the panel would be in float mode within a say ten minutes (100% city and 100% EOC). While my best tank was recorded with the panel, the overall gains aren't measurable against back ground noise. The main reason to do it is you have the convenience of not having to recharge your battery regularly.
Now if you have a smart alt and stop start, the gains are in the order of 0.5l/100km. I'm putting 360Wh on two of my cars (on with a smart alt - one will get an alt delete), I expect to see measurable gains.