u/Ath_o

Hi everyone,

I had a few doubts regarding the shift from 12V to 24V LV systems in Formula Student (EV) and wanted to understand the practical reasoning behind it.

Many LV electronic components such as CMOS logic ICs, gates, sensors, etc. typically operate below 20V (mostly 3.3V, 5V, or 12V). Despite this, I see many teams moving toward 24V LV architectures. What are the major advantages that justify this shift?
In a 24V setup, where are DC-DC converters usually most useful? My initial idea was to use a 24V battery and step it down using a buck converter like the LM2596 for powering low-voltage electronics. However, its output current is limited to around 3A. Is this approach commonly used, or are there better alternatives for Formula Student applications?
Some subsystems may still require voltage boosting again after stepping down, which increases converter count, system complexity, and cost. At that point, how do teams justify choosing 24V overall? My main goals are:

reducing harness weight
reducing wire gauge size
improving efficiency and packaging
improving the overall logic of the system to get a clear understanding of the systems for the upcoming junior batches

So I’m trying to understand how teams balance these benefits against the added DC-DC converter cost and complexity.

Would love to hear practical experiences from teams that have implemented 24V LV systems successfully.