Quote:
Originally Posted by trikkonceptz
It has been a couple of years now, but I recall a buzz some time back about the future of the automobile and its conversion to a 48V system. From what I recall doing so would reduce the weight of the vehicle by using smaller lighter weight electrical cables, since they would not have to be of such heavy gauge.
In fact I remember seeing companies like Alpine developing car stereos that could support the 48V systems. Anyone know what happen to this idea? I have since not heard anything about it. I thought it would be a perfect fit for vehicles like the Volt, Aptera, next gen prius etc, yet no mention of it.
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That was the 42V system. Technically, it's a 36V system, but the alternator/generator puts out about 42V (14V x 3). I think that there was probably too much pushback from the aftermarket, since 12V parts are so commonplace and cheap. Additionally, the UL has set 30V to be the "safety limit" for wet locations/conditions, so manufacturers are probably uneasy about having higher voltages underhood.