In the early 1900s, virtually all cars and trucks being made in the world in the world were being powered by 6 Volt electrical systems. Back then, that’s all that was needed because engines were low compression and electric loads were low. As time went on, 6 Volts systems started to be strained and in the 1950s, most auto makers bumped their systems up to 12 Volts. And today, even more power is needed and there are 48 Volt systems are being made. Here’s the story.
What car batteries do
In order to understand the whole voltage thing, we need to look at the different parts of a cars electrical system and see what they do. Let’s start with the main car battery. What it does is pretty simple: it’s there to store electricity for high-demand situations, such as starting. Typically, the starting process discharges less than three percent of the battery capacity under “ideal conditions.” The extra 97% capacity is for “non-ideal” conditions, such as when its cold out or a light has been left on and the battery is almost discharged.
The migration of 6 to 12 Volt
In the 1950s, things like power windows, power seats, power antennas, radios, air conditioning and other sorts of accessories started to appear. And, unfortunately, this caused a problem for engineers who needed an electrical system that could power all these things.
The “more power” solution came from General Motors who in 1954 offered the first 12 Volt system in their Cadillac Series 62 models. The rest of the American car industry quickly followed suit and within a few years every passenger car and truck made in the US had a 12 Volt electrical system.
Even more is needed
Today, we are at another transition point where we need more power. Today’s cars offer a buffet of new electronic technology and the car engines themselves, which traditionally used little electrical power, now have lots of electrically-powered components themselves (power steering, power cams, power water pumps, electric turbochargers, etc).
48 Volts
Today many cars are switching over to 48 volt systems and are reaping the benefits. According to Audi Gainesville (Gainesville, FL), Audi is using a 48 Volt system to power its 2019 A6 luxury sedan. The setup makes the car’s auto stop/start function—which shuts off the engine when the car is stopped—much less intrusive. The engine restarts faster and the air conditioning stays on while the engine is off, which addresses a common consumer complaint. Audi already uses the 48-volt system in its A8 sedan to power small electric motors in its adaptive suspension.
The Future
It appears that the 48 Volt electrical system may be the standard for some time. 48 Volt systems are capable of transferring a great deal of power and should be usable into the foreseeable future.
