For storing the same amount of energy, current and voltage are inversely proportional. So an equivalent 48V battery would only need to be 1/4 the A-H rating. Physical size shouldn’t change.
They actually tried to go to 42 volts in the 90's. Ford was one of the early proponents, the Explorer was going to have a 42V system back around the turn of the century. Not sure why it didn't happen, probably because of initial cost.
Cost is probably the largest driver. Once Ford has a large enough EV footprint (still not viable for non-EVs) to make economies of scale work, I could see them switching too in order to save weight and space.
I wasn’t aware of the 42V push…very interesting. It’s something that would need an industry consortium in order to gain traction.
Only in the short term. Moving to 48V for car audio would be fantastic. No more having to run bulky 8 AWG or larger wire everywhere. No more giant capacitors to deal with voltage drop. The amplifiers would likely be more efficient. It would just take a few years to start seeing a large number of amplifiers that run off 48V nativelyI think Joe was referring to any hard-wired electronics. Definitely going to have to invest in a really high-powered voltage converter if you're going to add a sub or anything to the stereo system. That won't be good for the checking account.
But it does look like they are leading the US auto industry. Like everyone copied their fixed glass roof, which I am not a fan of, maybe they will follow Tesla into 48V as well.
Are they, though? The CT doesn't exist. They routinely announce tech that they're nowhere near ready to produce. Meanwhile, a 48V system exists in GM vehicles in China and is being prepped for US and EU production.
I hate the glass roof and would have dropped it in a second if a real roof was available in a CR-1. I get headaches and nausea from flickering lights and the glass roof causes flickering on some common drives.
