I'm getting one for the truck. Winning.

 

these are (or were originally) ebay scams..

the original idea was, someone took a heater blower motor out of some Japanese car that slightly resembled a turbocharger shape, and thought that "hey it blows air, it will make me go faster like a turbo!" you can actually find some, or something similar for like 30-60 bucks on ebay. (the coincidental cost of some cheap heater blower motors) then they just add a k&n style cone filter and some silicon couplers.

that said, and with metalmans fine bulletproof... proof, ive heard you can actually buy the "real deal" style of electric superchargers for around 1100 or 1200 that have been tested and proven to work.

but my question, or concern really, is that if u have an electric "supercharger" and the wire shorts out, and the fan doesn't spin freely, wouldn't it basically feel like hitting a brick wall? minus the front end damage.. (tho if that happened ur more likely to have rear end damage wen someone hits you.)

 

If you were under "boost" and lost power to the unit there would be a loss of airflow no doubt. The engine would probably buck and then become a NA engine with a restriction in the intake track.

There is no doubt in my mind that an electric "supercharger" could work... Its rotating parts (motor rotor and impeller) would have to be made lightweight and with low inertia so the unit could spool quickly. This unit would not be very practical for continual usage IMO. The overall engine efficiency would be lower than a typical supercharged engine due to losses in the alternator and electric motor.

What I do see this being practical for is pre-charging a turbocharged engine when exhaust gas flow is low, especially with bigger turbos, to reduce/eliminate turbo lag. In this configuration the unit could be much smaller and require far less power than a version intended to take the place of a turbo/supercharger.