great idea, guaranteed success I think

I have been advocating using leaf blowers as superchargers for years.

We only use maximum power for a fraction of the time but we are considering carting round 3 extra batteries permanently for these odd occasions??

Ok so the advantage of a turbocharger is to take wasted exhaust energy and put it into the intake. With everyone wanting to go green how does this help? It will need a separate power source which could be a battery or boost converter who knows. The power used to drive this will be coming from the electrical system without a doubt which already has its inefficiencies. Cool idea but I don\'t think it will fit into modern green trends.

re; Clive Edmead - October 4, 2011 @ 06:13 pm PDT
There are other ways of going from 12 to 48volts than three extra lead acid batteries. I would either use an inverter and a transformer and draw a heavy amp load from the battery, put a switchable output controller on the alternator, maybe combine them or use batteries from cordless tools for the power supply.

re; drakesword - October 4, 2011 @ 06:26 pm PDT
Aside from all the mechanical difficulties associated with turbochargers. If you want lots of people to buy a tiny engined car you need to make it perform like the big normally aspirated big engined car they are used to. the Volt might be a masterpiece of engineering but to most people even after the tax payers subsidize the price it is an over priced under performing tinny little econobox. Personally I would prefer a Ford Pinto.

\"The new CPT electric supercharger uses switched reluctance motor technology and is well placed to exploit the proposed 48 volt electrical architecture announced earlier this year by European vehicle manufacturers. Switched reluctance motors are highly efficient and avoid the use of permanent magnets and rare earth materials.\"
apparently everyone commenting missed the above

Umm, why not use the accessory belt drive? you are converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, then back to mechanical energy for enhanced chemical/thermal energy to mechanical energy conversion. Huh? This is a breakthrough? I suppose making it easier to place under the hood is a plus, but 48vdc when the parent machine is 12vdc? Gee I dunno guys... I think maybe a real small supercharged diesel driving an appropriate sized alternator charging a buffering battery pack which feeds a traction motor set might do the trick. Too simple?

Crank driven superchargers have no lag. They\'re always spinning, always providing some boost.

Or... behind door number 3, how about just using an electric clutch like for the A/C compressor? Hook up a switch like GMs used for the TH400 trans to make a downshift when needed, and when you get down to about 3/4 of the way to WOT (or adjust it wherever you want it to come on at), the boost kicks in and awaaaay you go! An A/C clutch can handle 5Hp with the small amount of surface area they currently have, so if you were to increase that area (quite easily done BTW), you could handle at least 10 Hp to spin the compressor. I love it when a plan comes together! Or... behind door number 4, tap some of the hydraulic fluid off of the power steering pump and use that to spray against a vane pump and spin it that way. A solenoid valve could open up the high side line when boost is needed.
Randy