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's 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. "Cats" are inefficient when cold, so preheating them can greatly reduce emissions when starting a carbut today's 12-volt batteries can't provide the heating energy. And engine valves, currently powered mechanically, ...
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