TRIPLING the voltages of car batteries could benefit the environment, say
researchers. The familiar 12-volt car battery can no longer provide enough power
to handle today鈥檚 emission-control devices and advanced engine electronics, not
to mention the array of electronics that drivers now want at their fingertips,
such as in-car fax machines and mobile phones.
A consortium led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing
advanced wiring systems that will work with a new generation of 36-volt
lead-acid batteries. Cars currently draw about a kilowatt of power, but Gary
DesGroseilliers, the programme manager at MIT, says new equipment is set to
raise that power demand to about 4 kilowatts.
Catalytic converters will be an early beneficiary of the 36-volt batteries.
鈥淐ats鈥� are inefficient when cold, so preheating them can greatly reduce
emissions when starting a car鈥攂ut today鈥檚 12-volt batteries can鈥檛 provide
the heating energy. And engine valves, currently powered mechanically, could be
electrically driven, allowing engine operation to be adjusted to match changing
conditions.
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