The Differences Between 24V & 48V

Voltage

• The obvious difference between devices with a rating of 24V and devices with 48V of electricity is that the voltage output is double the amount in the latter. The two may not be interchangeable as a 48V power source used in a device that only requires 24V will cause overheating. Likewise, a 24V power source used in an object that needs 48V of electricity will be very inefficient.

Amp-Hour

• The 24V and 48V power sources each work at different rates to deliver precise electrical current to the intended device; therefore, the lifetime of each will not be the same. The amp-hour of a battery determines how much power capacity it has, ultimately affecting how long the unit will last. If both batteries use the same number of wattage for the intended device, the 24V battery has twice as much amp-hour capacity than the 48V model.

Cost

• The amount of electricity a device consumes also affects the financial cost needed to power the particular object. A battery or transformer that has an output of 48V of power will ultimately cost much more than one that only has an output of 24V. Additionally, using 48V power sources with a household power outlet will ultimately drive up the total of an electrical bill much more than a 24V power source.

Application

• Batteries and power supplies that output 24V of electricity are more common in application than 48V devices, but the two do share some similarities. Standard automobiles feature 12V batteries; therefore, both the 24V and 48V batteries are much too powerful. Large trucks and other heavy machinery use 24V batteries for electrical power, but vehicles only powered by electricity, such as scooters and bicycles, also use 24V power supplies. While 48V is too much electricity for most internal combustion-powered vehicles, large scooters, golf carts and bicycles also use this size battery for power.