The Novacab System to Reduce Energy Consumption for HVAC in Bus and Commercial Van Applications

The heating ventilating and air conditioning systems (HVAC systems) in use today on internal combustion vehicles do not lend themselves to efficient application in vehicles having long idling period, especially in the buses and commercial vehicles market.

An integrated climate control system has been developed by Groupe Enerstat over the past seven years. Applying a high-efficiency thermal storage technology (based on phase change of specific materials), the Novacab Climate Control System has been implemented in commercial trucks and buses to reduce idling (for “off road and off engine” heating and cooling). Comprehensive performance analyses and testing of the high-performance heat pump, but also a comparison with other systems have highlighted many benefits of using the technology (improved fuel economy by reducing vehicle idle and allowing for engine longer shut-off conditions).

This article presents the system and shows the results (in terms of reduction in energy consumption and emissions) of the implementation with monitored on-road data in commercial truck applications.