How is the e-Ram different than a supercharger or Turbocharger?
The e-Ram is a distant cousin of the full blown turbo or supercharging system which employs a centrifugal impeller that must run all the time. They have to produce matched engine airflow, with high-pressure air compression (4 to 15 PSI is normal). This requires a tremendous amount of HP to drive the device. For example the airflow needed for a 2.5-liter engine at 6000 RPM is 240 CFM. At only 6 PSI, you would need 10 to 15 HP just to create this type of supercharging. Belts driven by the engine or a turbine driven off the engines exhaust gases can produce this type of power. The e-RAM produces a low-level 1 PSI (1.7 PSI for the Super e-RAM). The e-RAM is very efficient in moving lots of air flow (CFM) at small pressures, where traditional turbo/superchargers are very good at making pressure, but need extreme speeds to match flow rates of most engines.
