Stay Cool with Advanced Automotive Glazings

Robert Farrington, John Rugh

Cooling vehicle cabins in the United States uses about 27 billion L of gasoline annually in the United Sates, a projected 8.7 billion L in Europe, and 3 billion L in Japan (assuming all the vehicles have air conditioners). The amount of fuel in the United States alone is equivalent to 10% of U.S. imported crude oil. Vehicle air-conditioning systems can increase the fuel consumption of a conventional vehicle by 28%; in hybrid electric vehicles by more than 100%.

Our bodies produce about 150 W of metabolic heat; vehicle air-conditioning systems deliver nearly 6000 W of cooling into the cabin. Air conditioners are designed to provide cooling not for the average thermal load, but for the peak thermal load that occurs after a vehicle has been parked in the sun. A smaller air-conditioning system can be used if the cabin soak temperature is reduced. A 12°C reduction in the peak cabin temperature can reduce fuel used for vehicle air-conditioning by 50%. Solar reflective glazings play a critical role in this effort.

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