One additional factor promises to have an agreeable effect on America’s oil/gasoline situation. There is a sea change on the horizon in regard to gasoline consumption in the US market because of the automotive industry’s impending switch to 42-volt electrical systems, from today’s 12-volt-based systems. The number of automotive accessories has increased dramatically in recent years, as DVD video systems, navigation screens and ever more elaborate HVAC and multi-channel music systems place increasing demands on a car’s electrical capacity. Accordingly, as reported in the trade magazine Automotive Industries, manufacturers will be converting future production (starting around the 2007 model year) to higher-capacity 42-volt electrical systems to handle the increasing demands for electrical power in the automotive environment.
But there is an added benefit to this switch: Not only will car stereos play louder, but several ancillary systems, such as power steering and air conditioning—which used to be fuel-robbing parasitic drains on the engine—will now be electrically powered. The exact same 4000-lb SUV with a 42-volt electrical system will now get 15-20% better fuel economy than before, and with lower emissions to boot. All without having to shave as much as one ounce off the curb weight. This is not some “what if” fantasy—42-volt vehicles are on the way. And the first recipients of this new pumped-up voltage muscle? High-priced luxury SUVs—not because manufacturers set out to increase their mileage, but because their auxiliary systems need the added electrical power. The gas mileage increase is just a by-product of the change, but a very welcome one, nonetheless.
source: American Thinker
