Mercedes-Benz to Equip First Vehicle Models with CO2 Air Conditioning Systems
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STUTTGART -- Oct. 20, 2015: In
order to comply with the legal provisions going into effect in 2017,
Mercedes-Benz will equip its vehicles with air conditioning systems that
meet all the relevant performance and safety requirements. The
Stuttgart-based automobile manufacturer will exceed the EU's climate
protection requirements. From 2017, it will offer in Europe the S- and
E-Class as the first production passenger cars equipped with CO2
air conditioning systems. These completely newly developed systems are
based on the DIN specifications defined by the automotive standards
committee of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).
Thanks to their especially quickly available and high cooling performance,
CO2 air conditioning systems swiftly provide for a pleasant
feel-good climate inside vehicles even in very hot weather. In combination
with their high environmental compatibility, this makes them the
sustainable premium solution among air conditioning systems.
Sophisticated new development with
potential
The use of
CO2 as a refrigerant necessitates the redesign of crucial
components. CO2 air conditioning systems operate at a pressure
of more than 100 bar – some ten times higher than that of today's
systems. This means that all components including the hoses and seals need
to be redesigned. Mercedes-Benz has drafted corresponding standards
together with all German automobile manufacturers and numerous suppliers in
the automotive standards committee of the German Association of the
Automotive Industry (VDA). The publicly accessible DIN specification
documents also offer other companies an opportunity to quickly launch
development activities of their own. This would create the prerequisites
for swift market penetration by this high-tech air conditioning system.
Mercedes-Benz has assumed a pioneering role in this respect. It is the
first automobile manufacturer to award not only development contracts but
also to place production orders for CO2 air conditioning systems
and their components.
Next stage
of the EU directive takes effect in 2017
Despite the exceptionally short time frame, the high level
of quality targeted by Mercedes-Benz for CO2 air conditioning
systems has already been realised in the new development for the company's
top models. Deployment throughout the entire vehicle fleet will not be
feasible by the effective date of the new EU directive on 1 January
2017. In order to also meet the EU requirements on schedule for all other
model series, the company has developed safe and reliable solutions for the
use of a synthetic refrigerant, which is used throughout the entire
automotive industry.
Apart from
CO2, R1234yf is the only refrigerant produced on an industrial
scale to date with which the future requirements of the EU directive for
air conditioning systems in new vehicles can be met. The new directive
stipulates a limit of 150 for the global warming potential (GWP)
index.
The R1234yf refrigerant is known
to have different flammability properties than the R134a refrigerant used
in the industry to date. In order to ensure a continued high standard of
safety for its customers in the future, Mercedes-Benz has carried out
extensive testing on all its vehicle models.
The result is a comprehensive package of vehicle’s
specific measures in order to guarantee Mercedes-Benz’ high safety
standards for the models using the R1234yf refrigerant.
In particular, these include a specially developed
protective system tailored to the given vehicle configuration. In the event
of a severe frontal collision, the patent-pending system ensures that the
resultant refrigerant/air mixture is separated from the hot engine
components in the engine compartment and that these components are
furthermore cooled in a highly effective manner. This is made possible by a
gas generator, which releases inert argon gas specifically at the relevant
hot spots. This effectively keeps the mixture from bursting into
flames.
As a result, this solution
ensures that customers' justifiable safety needs and Mercedes-Benz's high
safety standards will continue to be met in the future. At the same time,
it also provides the company with another means of helping to protect the
climate.