Quote:
Originally Posted by serialk11r
Your car uses that little? I've measured mine at >20 A key on (the only ammeter I have is meant for high current so it could be off by a few amps). I've measured about 120A charging for my 40Ah lithium titanate battery, so each second braking only powers the electronics for 5 seconds, probably less since I don't think the alternator output is that high, I'm guessing it's 130A. Some newer cars have 180-200A alternators which would do a little better but it's still not that much.
Basically a good reason to use higher voltage electrical systems. Actually, speaking of that, maybe you could? If you're running off battery + solar, you could double up on the battery, then double the alternator voltage, and then run the car off a DC converter.
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Yup, it only uses around 8 amps with the engine idling and no accessories on according to my Klein amp clamp which seems reasonably accurate. By far the largest load is the fuel pump at about 5 amps and the remaining 3 amps are going to the ECU, sensors, ignition, gauge cluster, etc. However, with the key on and engine off, my alternator draws about 8 amps through the large positive cable, so perhaps that has something to do with why your consumption seems so high?
A higher voltage system would be cool and definitely has efficiency benefits, but I don't think the benefits would be worth converting just for slightly lower power losses through the wiring over just using larger wiring. A AC-DC converter would also introduce efficiency losses and points of failure.
I have wondered about the optimal voltage for my solar array as I add panels in the future though. My charge controller supports up to a 100 volt input and a higher voltage would decrease current, but my understanding is that charge controllers becomes less efficient the more they have to step down the voltage.