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Old 12-02-2008, 02:09 PM   #4 (permalink)
orange4boy
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Wet Coast, Kanuckistan.
Posts: 1,275

The Golden Egg - '93 Toyota Previa DX
90 day: 31.91 mpg (US)

Chewie - '03 Toyota Prius
90 day: 57 mpg (US)

The Spaceship - '00 Honda Insight
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Hey merccom,

I know you want to go the home made alternator route but I would like to lend you some of my experiences running without alternator. I got about a 10% MPG boost when I did it.

I did a lot of research into this as I was experimenting and the deep cycle route is the cheapest and simplest. The weight gain from the batteries does not negate the benefits of getting rid of the alternator. On short trips you can easily run one battery and have a second for longer runs. Mine is set up with a series of Anderson connectors so it takes seconds to load. Think of it this way: Does adding one passenger cut 10% off your MPG? That's the eqivalent of at least two series 27 batts. Just improving the efficiency of the alt (if possible) would be a tiny fraction of the X route.

Quote:
Improving the electrical system's efficiency so it lops 100 W off the average electrical load has the same effect on fuel economy as reducing the car's weight by 110 lbs, as measured by the FTP (Federal Test Procedure) 75 standard profile of starts, runs, and stops
Quote:
A 200-W electrical load accounts for about 1 MPG in the FTP 75 cycle test
IEEE Spectrum: Automotive Electrical Systems Circa 2005

Just sayin' if you are going to go through all that trouble, it should be for the right reasons.

p.s. I love that otherpower site too. Wish I had time to make one of those generators and a windy spot to put it in.
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Vortex generators are old tech. My new and improved vortex alternators are unstoppable.

"It’s easy to explain how rockets work but explaining the aerodynamics of a wing takes a rocket scientist.


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