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Electrical Distribution Systems
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Problem-Solving Technology from DuPont

Increasing demands for more electrical and electronic automotive components produces a greater challenge for designers of the electrical distribution system. The system moves electrical power and signals throughout the vehicle through conducting paths – wires – at a wide variety of voltage levels.  As the number of components increase, the consequences of failure become much more severe.

Increasing the Power and Reducing the Clutter

Automakers are weighing a shift from today’s 14-volt system to a 42-volt system to provide the extra power needed for these added components as well as to better handle the needs of advanced technology like that in hybrid vehicles, fuel cells or integrated starter/alternators. And 42 volts offers other benefits. With each component requiring its own set of wires – one for power, and in many cases a second to control it – the proliferation of wires is reaching a critical mass. To help ease this wiring glut, multiplexing (MUX) has replaced many of the individual control wires with a common line connected to a central processing unit. That same notion can be applied to distribute the power, but it requires higher voltages. And higher voltages move over thinner wires. Higher voltage levels are the key to reducing the cost associated with moving this power.

DuPont has experience in many areas you can use to design robust electrical distribution systems. We have worked across industries and have developed many materials that thrive in hot, demanding applications. Our products regularly meet the demands of outer space and the challenges of performing reliably in toxic environments. DuPont expertise and the wide array of DuPont materials offer component manufacturers and system integrators the kind of support needed to bring these new technologies to market.

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