Opinions on this New Refrigerant
fourforhome
| Posted in General Questions on
Daikin claims they created a new refrigerant that, when used in EVs, extend their range by 50%.
Will the future of minisplits have COPs around 9.0?
https://insideevs.com/news/519703/ev-aircon-refrigerant-boosts-range/
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The article is maddeningly short on specifics, but it just doesn't pencil out. Does heating and cooling even consume a third of the energy in an EV? Because it would have to be at least that to be able to extend the range by 50%. And that would mean 100% reduction in energy use, which would be astounding.
By comparison, R32 is making a lot of noise with a 10% efficiency gain. Which is significant.
If you did develop a super-refrigerant, would EV's be the first place you'd use it? You'd save a lot more energy heating and cooling buildings.
I agree, it's just a bunch of baseless claims that don't pass the sniff test. Aside from the absurd numbers you mention, consider also that a very large percentage of the time that neither heating or cooling is needed, or at least, needed in very small amounts, even in non-mild climates. I even doubt the claim that Daikin is the largest manufacturer of heat pumps in the world. A brief scan of Daikin's website revealed no mention of this magic refrigerant that somehow not only uses no power for heating/cooling but also helps to propel the vehicle.
> Does heating and cooling even consume a third of the energy in an EV?
With enough time in traffic jams, it exceeds this. But AC related claims are often misleading and incomplete - don't expect large gains in other applications.
Here's a better article:
https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/daikin-develops-more-efficient-refrigerant-for-electric-vehicles/
It's an HFO blend, and it seems that its main advantage is in heat pumps, working well down to lower temperatures. So the range increase is probably compared to electric heat, not compared to existing heat pumps. And is probably exaggerated.
From the article: "Currently, the most common refrigerant for use in EV air conditioners, a product jointly developed by U.S. companies Honeywell and Chemours, costs around 30,000 yen ($270) per vehicle."
Why does that seem like an order of magnitude high?