why vehicles use 12v electric systems? Why a seemingly strange arbitrary figure like 12? Why not 10?
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Vehicles use 12v electric systems for a few reasons. First, 12 volts is strong enough to power most electronic systems in a car (like headlights, windshield wipers, and so on) without taking up too much power from the vehicle’s battery. Second, 12 volts is also the perfect voltage of electricity to jump start a car in case of an emergency.
My first car was a 1989 Ford Escort. I had an old battery that had finally given out and I needed to buy a new one, but instead of just buying a new one, I decided to give the old one a jump start. I was able to buy a very low voltage jump lead (only 12 volts) and with that, I was able to give my car enough of a boost to get it started and back on the road.
So, 12 volts is the perfect number of volts you need to give a dead battery a jump start and also to power most electronic systems in a car without taking up too much power from the vehicle’s battery.
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