The proposed smart, efficient eco-cooling strategy leverages the AC system's efficiency sensitivity to the vehicle speed and the thermal storage of the cabin to coordinate the AC operation with the vehicle speed profile by actively shifting the AC thermal load toward the more efficient region at higher vehicle speeds.
An investigation is now being conducted on vehicle cabin climate control systems to lower energy consumption and enhance battery electric vehicle range when in pure electric mode. OEMs of electric vehicles are always searching for novel concepts that will extend the driving range of their vehicles. Basically, an air conditioning system needs high-voltage power from high-voltage battery packs to keep the interior of the cabin in a comfortable temperature range during the summer. In order to meet these demands, the AC system in electric vehicles becomes an additional power consumer.
This smart ECO AC system consists of the importance and impact of the various components of the AC system, as well as the techniques followed by researchers to optimize the performance and decrease the power consumption of the AC system to expand the range of vehicles. We also look at the impact of the thermal load and the volume of space that needs to be conditioned. We conclude this review with the different options for the reduction of power consumption with ECO AC to occupant space as the solution for reducing the energy consumption or extending the range of the electric vehicle. Smart, efficient ECO AC systems reduce power consumption by 6–7% in small commercial electric vehicles.