The future of automotive electrical systems

In the near future there will be large increases in the electrical power requirements of the conventional automobile. This will be due to both the introduction of new functions, such as active suspension and a catalyst preheater, and the electrification of existing functions, such as power steering and engine valves. A higher voltage system will be required, but compatibility with the 12 Vdc infrastructure is necessary during an industry transition to new system designs. The authors discuss these issues by looking at a conventional electrical system, some metrics and relationships in such a system, new loads, and future electrical system architectures.