[DML] Re: Electric Turbo

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Tue, 11 Jan 2000, Bob Brandys wrote:

> An electric turbo that draws only 30 amps does not seem possible. 

It's not a real turbo. :} As you probably know, the power required to
compress air goes up rapidly as the pressure increases. The
turbodyne-style electric turbos are very low pressure units, 2 or 3 PSI. 
This is how they achieve their low power consumption. The fact that they
run for short periods of time enables them to attach to most electrical
systems without overloading them. They're not really a performance turbo
in the sense that we would want. They're more intended for diesel
engines.

Garrett is working on a new kind of hybrid electric turbo which is much
better. A brushless electric motor is built into the turbo housing. 
This allows the turbo to function normally, but the electric motor helps
eliminate turbo lag. As a bonus, it even generates electrical power when
the turbo is not being used to produce boost.

www.turbodyne.com has information on the electric unit. Garrett once had
information on their new system on their website, but the link I had is no
longer valid.