The Hindu Business Line : Batteries set to power `living space' on wheels

The move to break down the conventional SLI (start, lighting, ignition) functions to multiple battery sources has not, however, progressed too far for a variety of reasons, said Mr S. Ramachandra, Executive Vice-President, Amara Raja Batteries Ltd (ARBL).

Giving a low-down on the emerging scenario, he told Business Line here: "We are seeing two things happening. There was this talk about dual battery system. That is, one battery taking care of the starting function, and the other one supporting the lighting and other loads. There's now a feeling that we'll move to 42 Volts system car batteries from the 12 Volts system. Once that move happens, we would have DC/DC converters to support the `power this, power that' regime in modern cars. Look at what Maybach comes out with".

DC/DC converters are used to power electronic equipment in cars, typically laptops.

The DC/DC converter steps up low power to a more useful voltage.

"You might also see multiple batteries, even a powerhouse, being configured inside. You might see the 36-volt lead-acid pack or the 42-volts pack, beyond which I think you would have to possibly contend with the safety standards prescribed by the IEEE.

"These are the things appearing on the horizon, although translating them into ground reality would take some doing. The same holds true for the talk about shift to other chemistries as well. For instance, the buzz surrounding EVs and hybrid EVs," Mr Ramachandra said.

There is certain logic in the multiple-source model because the chemistry that is required to optimise the starting function is completely different from the one for lighting, and their designs are very different, too.

But, the current practice is to embody them in one battery.

Maybe if the market is ready for it, once could see a partial shift to VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) automotive batteries.

In fact, ARBL's alliance partner Johnson Controls supplies VRLA automotive batteries to some of its customers in the US and Europe.