Implementation of Electrified Air Conditioning on a Class 8 Long Haul Vehicle

Current methods employing electrified air conditioning (A/C) in class 8 long haul vehicles are hampered by insufficient capacity to cool the entire cabin both in sleeper mode and during normal on the road operation. A highly efficient single system solution is needed that meets cooling requirements under all operational modes without exceeding the power requirements that an onboard battery system can support.

Results presented in this paper demonstrate the ability of an electrified A/C system to exceed cabin pulldown requirements within onboard electrical power availability while also meeting the low power draw requirements of sleeper mode operation. Results also demonstrate power electronics technology has advanced to the point that delivering ~5 kW of power at 48VDC (i.e. ~100A) can be accomplished in a reasonable sized package for commercial vehicle applications.