im going to school for automotive and i was assigned to write an essay on why car manufacturers are going with a 42 volt system. does anyone know any reasons why they are doing this? and what are some problems with the system? thanks everyone.

 

search for popular mechanics archive for the info. they did a very in-depth article on it a few years back.

 

They're doing it because automotive electrical systems are being asked to run more of the car's systems than ever before, and even the systems that were always there, like the ignition system, have greater electrical demands. If we stick with 12-volt systems, the current necessary to run everything would keep increasing, meaning that the wire sizes would have to increase too, along with the weight of the car. When they move to 42 volts, they can keep the wire sizes within reason.

Down side, of course, is that practically every after-market auto accessory which needs electrical power runs on 12 volts, so some means of stepping down the voltage would have to be devised.

 

nice! anymore info keep it coming