Hybrid Car Air Conditioning
In order to save gas, hybrid cars shut their engines off when idling, say at a red light or even when you start the car. It's not until...
https://iskablogs.blogspot.com/2006/07/hybrid-car-air-conditioning.html
In order to save gas, hybrid cars shut their engines off when idling, say at a red light or even when you start the car. It's not until you accelerate (or take your foot off the brake) when the gas engine turns on. Since the gas engine is off and given that conventional gas engines run the air conditioning compressor using a belt system and since AC is the second largest user of the car's energy, figuring out how to make the AC work was an important consideration for each carmaker.
Each automaker implemented its own system to deal with this issue. Toyota has removed the belt system all together, while Honda implemented a dual scroll system. Gm and Ford have also implemented dual ac compressors that are powered by either the gas or the electric engine.
Starting in 2005, Toyota started powering the ac compressor using the high voltage battery packs necessary for the electric engine of a hybrid car. This requires an electric motor with an integrated inverter and controls to drive the ac compressor. It has been integrated with a high voltage, 3-phase AC motor and control inverter.
Honda, because it has a parallel hybrid configuration, uses a lower voltage than Toyota. And so the high current draw of an air conditioner needed something different. They went on to develop a dual scroll ac compressor. Two compressors in one, it has a 75cc belt driven scroll compressor in the front and a smaller 15cc electric scroll compressor in the rear. The electric scroll has 3-phase high voltage electric motor for its drive. The ac compressor then draws its power from one or both of the scrolls, depending on the situation.
During idle stops, the electric compressor will run alone unless the charge is low or demand is too high. In that case, the gas engine will restart to power the belt drive compressor to assist or to completely take over.
GM also has a dual-mode air conditioning compressor. As part of the ParadiGM system, the compressor is mounted on and driven by the transaxle.
Ford hybrid vehicles run the air conditioning from the gas engine, which means the air conditioner doesn't always maintain a constant temperature. In high demand situations (really hot days) the gas engine will keep running for maximum cooling.
Each automaker implemented its own system to deal with this issue. Toyota has removed the belt system all together, while Honda implemented a dual scroll system. Gm and Ford have also implemented dual ac compressors that are powered by either the gas or the electric engine.
Starting in 2005, Toyota started powering the ac compressor using the high voltage battery packs necessary for the electric engine of a hybrid car. This requires an electric motor with an integrated inverter and controls to drive the ac compressor. It has been integrated with a high voltage, 3-phase AC motor and control inverter.
Honda, because it has a parallel hybrid configuration, uses a lower voltage than Toyota. And so the high current draw of an air conditioner needed something different. They went on to develop a dual scroll ac compressor. Two compressors in one, it has a 75cc belt driven scroll compressor in the front and a smaller 15cc electric scroll compressor in the rear. The electric scroll has 3-phase high voltage electric motor for its drive. The ac compressor then draws its power from one or both of the scrolls, depending on the situation.During idle stops, the electric compressor will run alone unless the charge is low or demand is too high. In that case, the gas engine will restart to power the belt drive compressor to assist or to completely take over.
GM also has a dual-mode air conditioning compressor. As part of the ParadiGM system, the compressor is mounted on and driven by the transaxle.
Ford hybrid vehicles run the air conditioning from the gas engine, which means the air conditioner doesn't always maintain a constant temperature. In high demand situations (really hot days) the gas engine will keep running for maximum cooling.
