SightGlass

DR WAWZYNIAK described at length the challenges of using heat pumps in electrified vehicles, but said a side-effect of autonomous technology – even lower levels that require an alert driver behind the wheel – is making life easier for engineers working on ways of efficiently heating the cabin of a battery-powered car. Carmakers would love … Continue reading WHY AUTONOMOUS DRIVING WILL ULTIMATELY FAVOUR YF OVER R744

ELECTRIFIED and self-driving vehicles are presenting curve-balls to suppliers that design, engineer and make thermal management and HVAC systems. This is having an impact on refrigerant choices, because while R1234yf is great for conventional air-conditioning and R744 is better for heat pumps in low ambients, YF comes into its own again when scavenging heat from … Continue reading SECOND COMING

THE first vehicles with air-conditioning systems using R744 (carbon dioxide) refrigerant are rolling off European production lines and special equipment for servicing them has hit the market, heralding the dawn of a multi-refrigerant era. At a time of industry consolidation and rapid increases in platform, technology and component sharing between automotive manufacturers, this fork in … Continue reading Will R744 dominate auto-AC?

AUTODATA has launched a new diagnostic trouble code (DTC) module to save technicians time by easing the process of diagnosing faults. The company says 5,000 unique (DTCs) are investigated by technicians every day, and that while these codes can be useful, they are sometimes difficult to understand. Misinterpreting DTCs can lead to the time-consuming and … Continue reading AUTODATA FAINS DIAGNOSTIC TROBLE CODE MODULE

INITIAL results from a British study into the concentration of air pollution in vehicle cabins have revealed a clear link between the price of a car and its ability to protect occupants from toxic exhaust fumes and allergens. Transport data specialists Emissions Analytics found that occupants of vehicles in heavy traffic can be inhaling 10 … Continue reading AIR EQUALITY

THE United States is still expected to phase-down HFCs, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. The Paris Accord on carbon emissions and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol enacting a global HFC phase-down are separate agreements. During his election campaign, Mr Trump promised to withdraw from the Paris … Continue reading US PHASE-DOWN SAFE AS TRUMP TURNS BACK ON PRARIS

OFFICIAL: Australia will begin phasing down imports of HFCs including R134a from January 1 2018, a year ahead of the schedule for developed nations set under the historic Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol that was agreed by 196 countries in October 2016. The Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment Bill 2017 passed … Continue reading IT’S THE LAW

IT WILL soon be possible to charge the batteries of an electric car while it is driving at 120km/h, as recently demonstrated in France using wireless inductive chargers. A number of late-model cars feature inductive charging for compatible smartphones, while several electric concept cars have also included a beefed-up version of this technology to preview … Continue reading WIRELESS EV CHARGING AT 120KM/H