Electric Potential (Voltage) Converter — V, mV, kV, MV
Convert between 6 units of electric potential — volts (V), millivolts (mV), microvolts (μV), kilovolts (kV), megavolts (MV), and gigavolts (GV). Household mains is 120 V (USA) or 230 V (Europe). AA batteries provide 1.5 V; EV battery packs reach 400–800 V. Power transmission lines operate at 110,000–765,000 V to minimise resistive losses. Lightning can reach 1 GV before discharge.
About the Electric Potential (Voltage) Converter
Electric potential, commonly called voltage, is the work done per unit charge to move a charge between two points in an electric field. The SI unit is the volt (V), defined as one joule per coulomb. Household mains supply is 120 V (USA) or 230 V (Europe); batteries range from 1.5 V (AA cell) to 800 V (EV packs); power transmission lines operate at 110,000–765,000 V to reduce resistive losses over long distances.
- ›The human nervous system transmits signals at around 70 mV across cell membranes
- ›A lightning bolt can reach 1 billion volts (1 GV) before discharging
- ›USB 2.0 delivers 5 V; USB Power Delivery can negotiate up to 48 V for fast charging
- ›The volt is named after Alessandro Volta, inventor of the first electrochemical battery (1799)