Ultra-capacitor augmentation of the vehicle electrical system to reset its power budget

Average electrical burden in passenger vehicles, cars and light trucks, has escalated in recent years from 500 W to 700 W and higher. Year over year growth in electrical loads is now between 100 W to 150 W with no end in sight. OEM's maintain that a 14 V electrical system can sustain such growth and moreover, that 14 V electrified ancillaries are containable as well. With alternator technology now exceeding 3000 W and currents above 200 A it is incumbent upon the industry to evaluate means to reset the vehicle power budget. This work argues that such power budget resetting may be realized economically using existing 14 V alternator and battery technology but augmenting the vehicle charging system with a 28 V ultra-capacitor module. The series connected battery and ultra-capacitor module provide regulated 42 V for high power electrical loads leaving the base 14 V system unchanged.