Novel car heating and cooling system uses minimal electricity

MIT Technology Review : Heating and cooling systems are major power drains in electric cars. To overcome that problem, MIT and Ford are using a $2.7 million ARPAâE grant to develop what they call a thermal battery. The system runs water into a low-pressure container where it evaporates and absorbs heat. The water vapor is then pulled out of the container by an adsorbant material and the heat is released, either to a radiator to cool the system or to the car’s cabin to warm it up. The system requires significantly less electricity than current heating and cooling systemsâmdash;just enough to run a small pump and the fans to circulate the air. When the adsorbent material has taken in as much water as it can hold, it can be cleared by heating it to 200 °C. That process takes about the same amount of time as does recharging a standard electric car’s battery and could be done simultaneously. The researchers hope to have the system ready for testing in Ford’s Focus EV within the next two years.