Consequences for automotive relays of a 42 VDC power network in vehicles

Because of the increasing demand for electrical power in automotive vehicles the car manufacturers have decided worldwide to increase the nominal voltage of the automobile power network from 14 VDC to 42 VDC. Surveying the fundamentals of arc physics the authors show why this decision requires more extensive adaptations of the respective electromechanical switches than might be expected from a change by a factor three. Means to solve the problem are discussed.