LSR List;
Most of this press release is pure BS, especially the part that claims
"...with the coming of higher-voltage batteries car engines can be more
precisely controlled with a potential fuel savings of 10 percent."
Engine control precision has nothing to do with battery voltage-- it's a
function of the control system's basic design. A very accurate engine
control system could be designed to run on only a handful of flashlight
batteries!
The biggest reasons to go to a higher voltage electrical system have to do
with the increasing load of the accessories on the vehicle's electrical
system. There is a trend toward using electrical actuators instead of
hydraulic systems for power (anti- lock) brakes and power steering. Other
loads have also increased, with "power everything" now being more or less
standard. A/C systems also consume lots of electrical power.
Going to a higher voltage system allows the current to decrease with a
concurrent decrease in voltage drop (power loss) in the cables. Since Power
= Volts X Current, the only way to overcome the problem with higher current
loads is to increase the voltage. Lower current, higher voltage alternators
and starters are also more efficient.
This press release is typical of the misinformed news media. Grrrrrr......
Regards, Neil Gritting my teeth in Tucson, AZ
Subject: I Just Read This : Six or Eight Times the Juice My Early
Flatheads Had !!!
12-VOLT CAR BATTERIES TO BE PHASED OUT
Some of us are old enough to remember when cars had six-volt
batteries. But in the 1950s vehicles got more gadgetized and
auto manufacturers doubled the voltage to today's 12-volt
standard. Now, in the wake of recommendations from many en-
gineering groups, MSNBC is reporting that batteries will be
changed again, to 36- or possibly 48-volt models. Of course
as this change happens, auto clubs and garages will have to
retrofit their trucks to provide the added juice needed to
charge the new models.
What this means is that vehicle batteries will be able to
handle a larger variety of electronic equipment more effic-
iently, from telephones to TVs to videogames.
There's another plus, with the coming of higher-voltage bat-
teries car engines can be more precisely controlled with a
potential fuel savings of 10 percent. Some say that with
increased voltage becoming the standard the move to the all-
electric car will be hastened.
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