View Single Post
Old 04-16-2009, 02:38 PM   #6 (permalink)
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 11,203

CM400E - '81 Honda CM400E
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Daox's Grey Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
Team Toyota
90 day: 49.53 mpg (US)

Daox's Insight - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 64.33 mpg (US)

Swarthy - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage DE
Mitsubishi
90 day: 56.69 mpg (US)

Daox's Volt - '13 Chevrolet Volt
Thanks: 2,501
Thanked 2,587 Times in 1,554 Posts
According to wikipedia, alternators are only roughly 50-62% efficient. So, I'd have to disagree that its efficient.

For the rest I'll need to run some calculations. 230W is .3 hp. So, you're talking .6 hp to power a Metro which is probably about as low of a electricity hog of a vehicle as you can get. Any newer vehicle is sure to need more electric power.

From my reading on designing supercharger systems, belt losses are around 1% IIRC. If you're cruising down the road and and require 10hp to maintain speed, the alt is eating .6hp, and the belt is eating .1hp.

I think a much better ($) way to go is forget solar and stick with deep cycle batteries and a charger.
__________________
Current project: A better alternator delete
  Reply With Quote