What ever happened to 36V automobile electric systems?

[ned23]

About 10 years ago the auto makers of the world got together to discuss the 'next generation" of automobile electrical systems. I remember following this in the news. It was around 1997 or 98. The next generation of cars was supposed to have 36V electrical systems. This was going to revolutionize car electical systems. By using higher voltage they could cut the weight of the car's wiring by half! We could have everything from fluorescent interior lighting to electric valves to electric air conditioners and cars would be a lot easier to start in cold weather. Supposedly we were going tostart seeing these things in around 2004 or 2005. So, what the heck happened? anyone know?

[prathman]

I do remember seeing articles about that but don't know what happened to the idea. I was surprised about the claimed weight savings since I don't really see that many electrical cables in cars that are particularly heavy for carrying lots of current. Certainly some, such as the grounds from the engine and alternator, but those are few in number and pretty short. Most of the electrical wiring consists of bundles of thin wires that are not current-limited.

[Whelan]

Batteries couldnt keep up maybe. Hence the new slim batteries appearing in Mercedes.

[ned23]

I can't believe that a 36V battery for a car was that difficult of a proposition. The weight savings in wires results from the higher voltage. If you multiply the voltage by 3, then you can divide the current by 3 to get the same wattage. You'll need almost 1/3 less copper to deliver the same wattage and with less loss to heat in the wires.

[northvibe]

http://www.popularmechanics.co....htmlthere you go. Too cheap to put new switches in i guess would be the easy answer.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »http://www.popularmechanics.co....htmlthere you go. Too cheap to put new switches in i guess would be the easy answer.Wow, thanks for that article. I missed that one. Yes, the switches seem to be one of the main the driving factors behind the program failing. Although, they pointed out that changing most of the high-demand car accessories to A/C at the same time would solve that. Also, apparently the idea of hybrid cars which are already high voltage and the expectation that there will be a lot of them soon made it not worth the trouble to do the switchover now.

[northvibe]

yeah I think its because they are scared and it may cost a tad bit more but in the long run would be better...same old excuses for their problem they are in now :/ yeah...imports will prolly do them first..

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by ned23 »I can't believe that a 36V battery for a car was that difficult of a proposition. The weight savings in wires results from the higher voltage. If you multiply the voltage by 3, then you can divide the current by 3 to get the same wattage. You'll need almost 1/3 less copper to deliver the same wattage and with less loss to heat in the wires. Sure, but only for the wires where the gauge is actually determined by the amount of current that's being carried. Looking at the wire bundles in my car I see very few that are carrying substantial current and most are already much lower gauge (i.e. thicker) than they have to be based on current demands - they look like they're sized more for ease of handling and durability. As I said before, there are a few cables that could be made smaller, especially those going direct to the alternator and battery, but most of the cabling is substantially larger than called for by electrical engineering guides for a given length and current