How is the air con powered?

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alan sh
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Post by alan sh »

In all other cars I've owned, the air con is powered from the engine.

Today, I went to get my car cleaned - it's one of those places that you sit in the car and they wash it. But it was stifling hot so I left the car on with the air con running - all from the battery. It kept me nice a cool for around 15 minutes while the washing people cleaned my car.

So, how does that work? Is it like a fridge with a heat exchanger - that runs off the battery somehow?

I'm just curious - I like the feature and it may explain why the fuel consumption doesn't seem to change much with air con on.
Alan

I own a 2022 Ultimate Hybrid with Tech Pack - in Red (best colour).
Also have two motorcycles. Honda CB1300 and Honda CBF1000 (also red, of course).

daibill
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Post by daibill »

Possibly connected to this?



As an aside, many moons ago, I was in a queue for those types of car wash and I seen a wash mitt dropped on the floor which was duly picked up and used to continue washing the car. I drove off and never returned...
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old man
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Post by old man »

Bloody hell, does my car do all that's shown in the video.
Are those features present on all specs or is it certain specs and/or certain markets ?
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roadster
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Post by roadster »

Very good question with heatwave about to arrive. I went hunting for the A/C compressor and by following the pipes found it somewhere just below to the windscreen washer filler neck. Then I put the car in electric mode and turned on the A/C. The engine didn't start ( battery full ) and the noises confirmed that the compressor is somewhere in that region. The main engine coolant fan runs immediately so pin pointing exactly where the compressor is is difficult, but its definitely a direct electrical drive and no belts were moving that I could see. There is a very large lump which I believe is a belt driven motor( starter?) generator but I couldn't be sure if its built into that. Its possible that this could act in motor configuration to drive a compressor while having an internal clutch which disconnects it from the IC engine. Its also possible that the compressor is built in to a secondary radiator at the bottom of the main engine radiator as it obviously relies on the main cooling fan to dissipate the heat.

Postscript: I watched the video from 2020 but it doesn't reflect the under-bonnet layout of my car so probably not directly comparable. The evaporator is referred to but this will be at the delivery end of the cooled air as it enters the passenger compartment( a bit like what is inside your fridge ).
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jarvis
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Post by jarvis »

User manual states that the 48v traction battery powers the AC compressor
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alan sh
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Post by alan sh »

Does a Hybrid have a 48v traction battery?
Alan

I own a 2022 Ultimate Hybrid with Tech Pack - in Red (best colour).
Also have two motorcycles. Honda CB1300 and Honda CBF1000 (also red, of course).
Philr
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Post by Philr »

alan sh wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 11:06 am Does a Hybrid have a 48v traction battery?
Full hybrid definitely does and I would guess the PHEV does too.
Not sure about the mild hybrid though.
Phil

I don't have a carbon footprint because I drive everywhere.

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roadster
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Post by roadster »

Confusion over traction battery specification? According to my info. The mild hybrid is the 48 volt one. Standard hybrid is 270 volts, plug in hybrid is 360 volts.
Corresponding energy storage is mild - not much, hybrid 1.59 Kw.H , plug-in 13.8 Kw.H

That's what Google comes up with so it must be right?
The 'ordinary' hybrid uses fewer cells but there are some more within the pack which provide a twelve volt supply so it doesn't need a lead acid battery in the boot.
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Novocastrian
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Post by Novocastrian »

it's probably a bit late to respond to the initial enquiry, however you never know, someone might just have acquired their Tucson recently.
I was in a long queue for the Isle of Man ferry in the August extreme heat, and learned by accident that the aircon was powered by the transmission battery (ev light on), however ( we queued for a long time) and after a while the petrol engine kicked in, but later reverted to the electrical side when the battery was recharged a bit.
Quite a good feature I think.
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