To: blue_chip who wrote (1555 ) 4/28/1999 12:04:00 AM From: Sleeperz Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 6016
I think this is coinciding with the push to 48 Volt Auto-electric systems. More and more automotive components are becoming eletro-mechanical. Now available are electronic steering modules, steer-by-wire. Electronic valve actuation is next on the list to be moved from mechanical to electronic control. 48 Volts systems can provide the same power as 12 Volt systems using less current and thus smaller wires. Removing these items (AC, PS, Alternator) running off the drive pulley can result in better fuel efficiency since these items are then only run on-demand and not a constant load on the engine. Also with cars getting smaller and smaller , the engine compartment can then become smaller relocating the AC and Electrical generation to more convient locations. CL Replacing the battery and the alternator in the long term Fitted in BMW passenger cars, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell will serve to supply electric energy to the onboard network, thus doing the job for which it is most suitable: generating electricity at a high level of efficiency and operating independently of the engine. The actual drive power for the vehicle itself should in BMW's opinion still be provided by the combustion engine with its well-known advantages. In future, therefore, the compact fuel cell battery will merely take the place of a conventional lead battery. With the fuel cell exceeding the power output and service life of a lead battery by far, however, this fuel-cell APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) is not only able to supply power to all conventional electrical power-consuming items in the car, but also allows new functions such as air conditioning when the car is at a standstill.