Who would have ever thought that the cigarette Lighter in the automobile would have influenced the advancements in technologies? Just think, at one time in this world cigarette smoking was considered fashionable. It was so fashionable that automobile manufactures took great pride in designing this feature into their automobiles along with ashtrays. Some even featured the location of the ashtray and cigarette lighter in their advertising. Manufacturers put ashtrays and cigarette lights everywhere they could to allow driver and passenger’s easy access. This design would lead to technology. No one knew how hazardous smoking was to our health.
What happens next is all about technologies. With all these 12 volt outlets in the vehicle to plug things into it started an industry! First, the cellular phones then the games, DVD’s, and portable electronics of all types. Cigarette smoking is now not fashionable, but the cigarette lighter is. The ashtray did not survive. You will find most vehicle built in the last decade do not have ashtrays. Some manufactures have changed the name of some cigarette lighter locations to 12V outlets! My 2006 F150 has a Cigarette lighter and no ashtray along with a 12V outlet on the dash for electronics! In most vehicles the cigarette lighter circuit plays a major role in the on-board diagnostic connectors. Yes, most diagnostic connectors use the cigarette lighter circuit to power Pin16 which, powers the scan tools. The “BOOMER” generation created the environment for the next generations’ technologies. We should not complain about the next generations’ use of these technologies. So the next time you hook-up your electronics to a vehicle remember the cigarette lighter started it all along with a little help from the “BOOMERS”.