It is estimated that the use of air conditioning typically results in a 33 per cent decrease in the EV’s range
Daikin, a Japan based air conditioning giant, has revealed a new AC refrigerant that it claims can help increase the range of electric vehicles by 50 per cent. This simply means that an EV with a range of 200 KM will be able to drive for 100 more KM.
The US based industry group SAE international is currently verifying the claims made by Daikin. If launched the product will mar Daikin’s entry into the EV segment as well. It is to be noted here that Daikin is one of the top selling brands when it comes in the list of top commercial and residential AC makers.
A report by Research Gate notes that the use of air conditioning in all-electric cars reduces their driving range by 33 per cent on an average. In fact, it is estimated that the use of air conditioning typically results in a 33 per cent decrease in the EV’s range.
This refrigerant that Daikin has developed has a a boiling point of 40-degrees Celsius which is around 10 to 15 5 degrees lower than most conventional products.
EV makers including Tesla generally make HVAC systems on their own. Elon Musk has even a times noted that if Tesla commercialises its HVAC technology, it will become class leading.
Daikin Industries, has recently added 123 new patents to its Pledge 1 which includes a grant of free access to its pledged patents in relation to certain HVAC-R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration) equipment using the non-blended, single-component refrigerant HFC-32 (R-32). Approximately 300 patents are now free to use and do not require permission or a written contract with Daikin. As a result, the company will facilitate the further adoption of HFC-32, which has a lower global warming impact than many refrigerants commonly used today.
There’s no clarity whether Daikin plans to use the tech for commercial and residential ACs or not.
