MPG decrease for the Prius's electric motor driven AC compressor is negligible. I also have performed detailed metering (8 channels @ 3 second interval data averaged over 1 minute) this past winter for the 3-ton heat pump/air conditioner serving my 1800 ft2 house with the compressor consuming about 1.5 kW. 1.5 kW can provide a LOT of air conditioning. A hotel room can be cooled with a 1 ton AC unit. I would guess a car would use about half of that.

1 ton of refrigeration refers to the old days when they used to cool buildings with blocks of ice. 1 ton of refrigeration means that 1 ton of ice would be needed per day to keep the building cool.

Heating a car is another thing altogether. Electric cars will either need a heater that burns a liquid fuel, uses an air source heat pump, or somehow recaptures waste heat off of the batteries.

Excellent. Can I have a cabrio version please?

If it handles OK, happy to pay $20,000.

The heater on the RAV4 EV was a heat pump, and like the electric AC on this vehicle, using it had only a modest effect on range (as reported by owners).

By the way, the 64 bhp motor in the MIEV will feel like the equivalent of a 90 bhp ICE in day to day driving. EVs are always MUCH quicker in the real world, when compared with internal combustion propulsion of the same maximum power output.

The air conditioner in an average car is 1.5 to 2.5 tons capacity. Remember that it is sized to bring down the temperature of a parked 130 degree car in just a couple of minutes when you first get in. The central air conditioning in your house is sized just to keep up with the heat entering into your house's envelope, plus a small margin.
The seer rating on automotive units would only be around 8 or 10 (if they were rated that way). The condenser coils are small in order to not increase the car's drag. small condensers equal low efficiency.
As A reference point, my SEER 16, 3.5 ton central air conditioner pulls 4.2 KW during the compressors run cycle.

I read a while back that research has shown that cooling power can be reduced significantly, if the seats are cooled/ventilated rather than cooling the whole car. This makes excellent sence to me as a heat transfer specialist.

Imagine that you flick on a button for seat cooling, just like you turn on seat heating today. I imagine this would be done with water, which also saves energy for pumping and by lowering the temperature difference between evaporator and condenser in the coolig cycle.

How about inventing a A/C condenser that can "sweat" (in order to reduce condenser temperature, thereby increasing the efficiency of the cooling cycle). Would it be too much of a hassle to fill up with water once in a while?

It is true that automotive A/Cs are much more powerful than those used in homes. And yes, this is a testament to the collosal energy waste in current cars. Surely, there is room for huge improvement! A/C was introduced for luxury cars with large engines where the incremental increase in fuel consumption was hardly felt, I guess.

Interesting report of public test-drive of Phoenix EV truck:

http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com/eco-gadgets/test-drive-phoenix-motorcars-electric-sport-utility-vehicle.htm

Vehicle driven was not yet equipped with AC, but the final version will. According to PMC, AC use will reduce driving range by 20-30%. I bet they are installing heat pump AC/heating unit.

<<< Schmeltz wrote:

Mitsubishi build a factory in the US? I say that is highly unlikely...not sure if they can use any of chrysler or dodge's factories for this vehicle either.

Changes for meeting crash standards of the US would probably prevent it from being registered for use on US roads. Mitsubishi has stated before they would not bring this body style to the US... >>>

DAMN! Yet another reason to move to a country that has the good sense to fight global warming and encourage clean air in serious ways. Norway anyone?

Yeah, I know, we have to raise consciousness in the U.S. Yeah, I know, the new EV's have to be more even more profitable than the existing, entrenched gasoline economy so the plutocrats can keep their stranglehold.

If only we had more CONSUMERS like the ones in this forum who CARE about the pollution coming out of their exhaust pipes. Jeez, aren't the existence of exhaust pipes in the first place an indication that ICE engines are toxic?

Let's just spew combustion chemicals into the same air we breathe! Brilliant!

Oh, yeah, and let's smoke cigarettes while we breathe that smoggy air! Even more brilliant!

OK, that's my rant for this morning.

In Australia Mitsubish is struggling to survive, I suggest these vehicles would take off in this country but I have little hope that they will be imported here, I have written to the government here in connection with electric vehicles using A123 Nano phosphate batteries but I get no reply.

Imagine never having to fill up with petrol again!!

A/C for my prius consumes 1.5 Kilowatt/hr at full cold blast, or 10 amps for that matter according to my CANVIEW