I wonder about backpressure and how much it would affect FE to generate the equivalent energy of a belt-driven alternator. There's no free lunch!

True, there's energy loss both ways, isn't there?

Agreed... there is energy loss either way. I guess it's just a matter of picking the one with the least amount of energy loss.

Maybe this is something to look into for the future... or I can just wait until 2012.

a friends brother works at a shop that apparently has a "scrap bin" of turbos, I asked him a while back to find me the smallest turbo possible, just the other day he said it was in and that I coudl pick it up, not sure how small it really is, but it might work well for a project like this, he also picked up another turbo with the 5" exuast intake port to use for another turbine engine project, I can't wait to see both of them.

and VW's come with solar panals in them to keep the battery fully charge in shipping, apparently it's "to costly" to send them back to use again, a fully charged battery will last longer.

Me don't care, if you can take out the alternator then me care. Alternator is dead weight.

Well if you're not using it you can take it out. The starter is more of a dead weight than the alternator anyway.

I just want something so I could take out my alternator completly. I don't use the radio. I only use the lights, turn signals, cruise control and very rarely the air conditioner. I've even put LED's to reduce the load on my electrical system.

Then take it out and hook up a solar panel to charge the battery, :p

So there is a solar panel good enough where I could take out the alternator completly???

ok I found out that the belt that is on the alternator also shares the power steering pump and the water pump pulley. So I can't take the alternator out. So what can I do to increase my mpg without pulling out the alternator???

Maybe get a solar panel that will make the car use less my alternator or how does it work?