Electric Vehicle Air Conditioning System and Its Optimization for Extended Range—A Review

Environmental protection initiatives are speeding up the replacement of the present IC engine-based transportation system with an electric motor-driven system. In electric vehicles (EV), energy stored in batteries is used for the traction of the vehicle and the operation of the auxiliaries. The range of the electric vehicle was identified to be one of the major challenges faced by the EV segment. The optimization of the consumption of stored energy is the best solution for range improvement in an EV. Auxiliaries in the vehicle include basic accessories such as a lighting system and equipment for improved comfort such as air conditioners. Air conditioning equipment is the major power-consuming auxiliary in an EV apart from the traction motor. This review article discusses the significance and influence of different components of the air conditioning system, and methods followed by researchers to optimize the performance and reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system to extend the range of vehicles. The effects of thermal load and volume of space to be conditioned were also considered in this study. This review concludes by stating the different possibilities for the reduction in power consumption and emphasizes zonal air conditioning of occupant space as a solution for reducing energy consumption or increasing the range of EVs. Compared to full-space air conditioning, zonal AC can reduce power consumption by up to 51%.