How Your Car’s Battery Powers Modern Electronics in Your Vehicle
Your vehicle's battery plays a pivotal role beyond starting the car, enabling certain safety features, and running your lights. It also powers things that make driving comfortable, enjoyable, and convenient.
Here’s how your battery impacts an array of electronic functionalities that you use every time you drive.
Powering the Modern Car's Electronics
Beyond simply igniting the engine, the battery fuels the creature comforts that define today's driving experience.
Audio Systems
If you love driving and listening to music, you can thank your battery.
Charging Devices
Have you ever used your USB port to play music or charge your mobile devices? Those are functions that draw power from your vehicle’s battery.
Electronics and Infotainment
Your audio system, touchscreen displays, GPS navigation, and various onboard computers also rely on the battery for power.
Heating and Air Conditioning
We don’t think of heating and air conditioning as a bonus feature in vehicles any more, but they are part of our everyday comfort while driving.
The blower fan, which helps circulate hot or cold air in the car's cabin, draws on your vehicle’s battery for power.
Power Seats, Windows, and Door Locks
Electrically operated windows and central locking systems rely on battery power, and so do adjustments for seats, particularly in modern vehicles.
Increasing Power Demands in Modern Cars
As cars incorporate more sophisticated electronics, the demand for power has skyrocketed.
We’ve discussed the demands on your battery while your car is on, but various purge systems run when your vehicle is turned off. Something like an EVAP, or evaporative emission system, can run and purge emissions during the night.
Modern vehicles now come equipped with larger batteries and alternators to meet these amplified power requirements. Additionally, advanced Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries have become the norm over acid batteries. While these AGM batteries come at a higher price, they deliver increased power output and can sustain complex functionalities.
Ask Your Service Center to Check On Your Battery
Your battery impacts way more than how your car starts, so keep it well maintained. Ask your service center for a preventative maintenance inspection so you’re always aware of your battery’s working condition.