Re: [IRCA] OT: car electricals

[Charles A Taylor <MWDXer@xxxxxxx>]

At 03:44 PM 5/17/2007 -0700, you wrote:


>Well, maybe this is not OT as I have a nice Sony SW car radio, and the car
>is my most RF-free site to DX by far . . .
>
>Anyway, I have heard talk that cars will be changed over to 42 volts very
>soon.  Does anyone know when or why?
>
>thanks

Eric,

I have a pretty good idea that this is being done to improve the efficiency
of the car's electrical system.

The power lost in wiring, especially between the car's battery and the
starter, is proportional to the square of current drawn. So if one raises
the battery voltage from 12 to 24 volts, the current wasted drops to ¼
of that wasted at 12 volts.

By the same token, there's been a proposal kicked around somewhere
inside government and the electrical utility industry to raise the voltage
coming into homes to 1,000 volts, and then step it down with a small
autotransformer to 120/240 volts. That'll save some of the power
wasted in the service entrance conductors.

Happy High Voltage to You!

Charles


Charles A Taylor, WD4INP
  Greenville, North Carolina 



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