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" Wall Street Journal story.   Despite being designed to operate more electrical systems, current cars still use the same basic type of 12-volt battery that&amp;#039;s been around for decades, the story said.   Among the items stressing car batteries are DVD screens, subwoofer sound systems, mood lighting, built-in refrigerators and cup holders that heat coffee and cool soft drinks. For consumers, these onboard electronics increase comfort, convenience, efficiency and safety in the form of computerized engine controls, tire-pressure sensors, and powerful navigation and entertainment systems. But all these electricity gobbling items, and the increasing complexity of electronic-ignition systems, pollution-control devices, security systems and display screens, could be helping to shorten the life of car batteries.   Sales of replacement batteries \u2014 which range from $50 to $200 \u2014 jumped 13% to 67.7 million in 2006, compared with 59.9 million a year earlier and an average of about 54 million a year for the previous 10 years, the WSJ noted, citing data from Industry MR, a research firm in Oak Brook, Ill.   However, a spokesman for Industry MR says there are other factors that contribute to the increase in battery replacement. For one, people are keeping their cars longer, and battery replacement tends to increase in cars that are more than five years old. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a12911/proliferation-of-electronic-gear-shortens-car-battery-life/>