Has anyone tried installing an electric compressor using the stock dryer, compressor and condenser? Free up more weight advantage. 
Electric a/c compressor
- Thread starter Paul41510
- Start date
Why would this save weight? You're just removing one compressor and adding another one that doesn't work as well, and is likely even heavier since it has a motor attached to the compressor instead of being belt driven.
12 volt electric compressors usually don't work all that well either. Typical automotive AC systems are usually in the 3-6 ton range, and you can't really match that on a 12 volt system without pulling insane amperage and overwhelming the alternator, so they are severely down-rated to have sustainable current draw which means less cooling capacity.
12 volt electric compressors usually don't work all that well either. Typical automotive AC systems are usually in the 3-6 ton range, and you can't really match that on a 12 volt system without pulling insane amperage and overwhelming the alternator, so they are severely down-rated to have sustainable current draw which means less cooling capacity.
Depending on the cc and generation they weight 10-13lbs only. You can mount them anywhere. Shorter lines no belts to replaced. The only downside is amp draw. That’s a simple fix by a custom higher amp alternator. The first generation didn’t cool as well but they already at there 4th generation which is more efficient and powerful and it only weights 13lbs. You can literally mount it up front for better weight distribution.
A good electric AC would 1) save weight, 2) lose less engine power, and 3) provide better efficiency on AC.
Retrofit electric AC, such as the Singer, is a big thing in the air-cooled restaurant world.
I am looking at them as well. https://www.classicretrofit.com/col...ng/products/electrocooler-compressor-ecu-only
Retrofit electric AC, such as the Singer, is a big thing in the air-cooled restaurant world.
I am looking at them as well. https://www.classicretrofit.com/col...ng/products/electrocooler-compressor-ecu-only
I understand this for a vintage retrofit application in cars that do not have AC or might have been equipped with the old piston style compressors. In a non vintage retrofit application that already has AC, the only up-side to an electric drive compressor that I see is that a compressor with a variable speed electric drive allows you to do part load cooling operation better than the on/off mechanical clutch controlled system that the NSX has. This theoretically might allow for some small fuel efficiency improvement.
I suspect the NSX compressor is sized much larger than the electric drive compressor and is over sized in terms of meeting the continuous cooling requirements in the cabin. At idle, the NSX compressor can turn my 2000 into a beer cooler in a couple of minutes after it has been sitting out in the sun on a 35C day. The couple of all electric cars that I have experienced do not have that instant beer cooler ability.
If the electric drive compressor had equivalent thermal capacity it has to weigh more than the existing NSX compressor because you have now added an electric motor and its controls into the system which did not exist before. As @MotorMouth93 notes they are all probably of significantly less thermal capacity. Since I expect the NSX ECU decouples the compressor at peak engine output there is no increase in available peak horsepower. There might be some overall efficiency improvement; but, that would require careful integration of the compressor motor controls with existing CCU which may not be a trivial task.
As MotorMouth93 implies, I am not seeing the up side to this.
I suspect the NSX compressor is sized much larger than the electric drive compressor and is over sized in terms of meeting the continuous cooling requirements in the cabin. At idle, the NSX compressor can turn my 2000 into a beer cooler in a couple of minutes after it has been sitting out in the sun on a 35C day. The couple of all electric cars that I have experienced do not have that instant beer cooler ability.
If the electric drive compressor had equivalent thermal capacity it has to weigh more than the existing NSX compressor because you have now added an electric motor and its controls into the system which did not exist before. As @MotorMouth93 notes they are all probably of significantly less thermal capacity. Since I expect the NSX ECU decouples the compressor at peak engine output there is no increase in available peak horsepower. There might be some overall efficiency improvement; but, that would require careful integration of the compressor motor controls with existing CCU which may not be a trivial task.
As MotorMouth93 implies, I am not seeing the up side to this.
