Existing and Alternate Vehicle Air Conditioning (A/C) Systems

摘要

It is technically and economically feasible to substantially reduce global emissions from vehicle air conditioning (A/C) with existing or new refrigerants, but intelligent choices must be made to maximise the benefit to climate and provide occupant comfort and safety. Air conditioning has an environmental impact because HFC-134a refrigerant is a potent greenhouse gas and because A/C requires fuel use and its associated emissions. Emissions from the existing and future fleet of HFC-134a air-conditioned vehicles can be dramatically reduced with the use of quality components. Refrigerant management can further reduce emissions by not recharging without repairing leaking systems, recovery and recycle at service and vehicle disposal, and by prohibiting small disposable cans that encourage car owners to recharge their own systems without repair. Furthermore, energy-efficient vehicle air conditioning and heating are vital to the successful commercialisation and customer acceptance of electric, fuel cell, hybrid, and other high-efficiency vehicles. Heat pump technology may become an option for vehicles with high-efficiency internal combustion engines that reject too little energy to warm vehicle interiors in cold climates.