Search Results

The growth in electrical power demand in future vehicles is expected to significantly exceed the four to five percent annual increases experienced over the last two decades. Continued electrification of traditionally mechanical loads, such as power assist steering, as well as the introduction of new loads, such as AC power points, will overburden the conventional 14V power generation and distribution system. The cost of the electronics to control these new high power systems will add to the challenges associated with the transition. A higher electrical system voltage will be required to meet these ever increasing loads and will help to reduce the control electronics costs. This paper will provide projections of potential future electrical system loads and compare some approaches that could be employed to provide the electrical power to meet the needs.

The automotive industry is investigating the change of electrical system voltage in a vehicle from the present 14 volt (12V battery) to 42 volt (36V battery) to integrate new electrical and electronic features. These new features require more amperes, thicker wires, large power devices, and eventually higher cost. The existing 14V system is very difficult to sustain so much content because of constraints of performance, efficiency, cost, packaging space, and manufacture-ability. This paper discusses foreseeable needs moving to a higher voltage, and reasons of 42V selection. It explores benefits and drawbacks when the voltage is changed from 14V to 42V in the areas of wire harness, power electronics, smart switching, power supply, etc. Finally, two typical 42/14V dual voltage architectures are presented for a likely 42V transition scenario.