This started with a Subaru Justy that I once owned. It is really simple and anyone can do it.
First you will need to buy a marine battery and a battery charger.
Remove the belt from your alternator and replace the belt with a smaller one that will run everything else such as your water pump if needed.
Then run off your battery. I was able to save an average of 14% in fuel mileage. I installed a battery charger under the hood of the car and when I got home I would plug in to recharge. I had the charger hooked to the battery at all times for convenience and left the cord hanging just outside the grill.
A deep cycle marine battery is important so that it will hold up to the draining and recharging.
Now in my Justy I averaged about 110 miles in between charges but usually only ran 40 or 50 miles and charged back up. This was because that was my round trip commute and running around every day.
Another way of doing it that is not quite as efficient (about 4-5% savings) but is a little more versatile is to put a cut out switch on your alternator and when your voltage meter shows you are low on battery storage, them flip the cut out back on so you are drawing back off the alternator.
This is very much a hybrid because you are using about 20 cents of electricity to charge a battery and saving about $1 in gas per trip. This was my experience.
Now the cost of setting this up will take at least a year to recover. Is it worth it. i think so because the charger is a tool that for me is needed around the house anyhow and at the end of the year not only did I make my $200 back but I also have an extra battery for other projects and the charger itself. So I end up making a profit by doing this. The second year it is just another $200 in my pocket for other projects. Now this was based on $2.75-$3.25 per gallon gas. It looks as though we are looking at $5 per gallon by Summer time and will pay out even better.
First you will need to buy a marine battery and a battery charger.
Remove the belt from your alternator and replace the belt with a smaller one that will run everything else such as your water pump if needed.
Then run off your battery. I was able to save an average of 14% in fuel mileage. I installed a battery charger under the hood of the car and when I got home I would plug in to recharge. I had the charger hooked to the battery at all times for convenience and left the cord hanging just outside the grill.
A deep cycle marine battery is important so that it will hold up to the draining and recharging.
Now in my Justy I averaged about 110 miles in between charges but usually only ran 40 or 50 miles and charged back up. This was because that was my round trip commute and running around every day.
Another way of doing it that is not quite as efficient (about 4-5% savings) but is a little more versatile is to put a cut out switch on your alternator and when your voltage meter shows you are low on battery storage, them flip the cut out back on so you are drawing back off the alternator.
This is very much a hybrid because you are using about 20 cents of electricity to charge a battery and saving about $1 in gas per trip. This was my experience.
Now the cost of setting this up will take at least a year to recover. Is it worth it. i think so because the charger is a tool that for me is needed around the house anyhow and at the end of the year not only did I make my $200 back but I also have an extra battery for other projects and the charger itself. So I end up making a profit by doing this. The second year it is just another $200 in my pocket for other projects. Now this was based on $2.75-$3.25 per gallon gas. It looks as though we are looking at $5 per gallon by Summer time and will pay out even better.