48 Volt Car Batteries question

Kinja'd!!! "Carbon Fiber Sasquatch" (turbopumpkin)
10/21/2017 at 23:09 • Filed to: Late night Oppo, Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey

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I understand almost everything about the switch to 48 volt systems in cars but I just can’t find anything about the size and the cost to replace the 48 volt battery units. I know that they’re Li-ion instead of Lead Acid but do they last longer than Lead Acid?

Optimus Prime for your time

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DISCUSSION (8)


Kinja'd!!! punkgoose17 > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
10/21/2017 at 23:26

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My guess is almost as long as a lead acid battery. The 48V batteries will probably lose a higher percentage of their voltage capacity than a lead acid (before end of life), but they systems should be designed to handle it.


Kinja'd!!! Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > punkgoose17
10/21/2017 at 23:50

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That won’t be so bad as long as they’re not significantly more expensive to replace.


Kinja'd!!! dogisbadob > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
10/22/2017 at 00:28

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couldn’t they at least go through 24V first? :p

I know trucks are 24V now


Kinja'd!!! BahamaTodd > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
10/22/2017 at 01:02

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I would think the 48V battery is designed to last for a significant amount of the life of the vehicle. Its a smaller version of an EV battery.

Bosch is pushing standardization for quicker vehicle development with their new 48V battery, so it doesn’t sound like its something that that is meant to be serviced very often.

http://www.bosch-presse.de/pressportal/de/en/new-hybrid-battery-from-bosch-%E2%80%93-48-volts-is-a-recipe-for-success-129984.html  

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Kinja'd!!! Cé hé sin > dogisbadob
10/22/2017 at 05:12

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They use two 12v batteries though. If you’re in most of the world these are used to give 24v electrics, if you’re in North America they give 24v starter and 12 for everything else. No, I don’t know why.


Kinja'd!!! e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
10/22/2017 at 09:13

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Li-ion is going to cost more. Lead-acid batteries are big, dumb, well understood, and easy to make. Li-ion batteries need internal circuitry and some mildly exotic materials to manufacture. So Li-ion batteries will always cost more than lead acid.

On the plus side, as long as the battery is properly sized to the car, it should be able to withstand far more abuse than a lead-acid battery.


Kinja'd!!! Grindintosecond > Carbon Fiber Sasquatch
10/22/2017 at 12:02

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according to the article itself, the only benefit is the size of product and the less dirty means of production, via plastics and not metal and no need for cooling of the battery, which means less energy loss. But when asked how the 48v battery helps hybrids, the answer is just plain how a hybrid works in saving braking energy, not in any way showing what 48v does better.

This is purely manufacturing savings, not any performance benefit of 48v, except for the cooling issue. That’s all I could tell. BOSH just found a way to benefit, but the end user just goes on as usual, with no real massive gains.

Anyone else see something different?


Kinja'd!!! BahamaTodd > Grindintosecond
10/22/2017 at 14:54

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Yes, those are the benefits mentioned in the article because its all about why the Bosch 48V system is better than other competitors’ 48V systems. The benefits of 48V are already assumed. 12V systems are nearing their limit in power capacity due to the increasing amount of electrical demand in modern cars. Going to 48V allows for less current draw (Power = Voltage x Current), and allows for further electrification. Another benefit is being able to use smaller gauge wiring. 48V systems will primarily be used in mild hybrids. Similar to a Prius.