Mahle has announced the development of what it has dubbed a “smart air conditioning system” to reduce levels of fine particulates in a vehicle’s cabin.
A key feature of the system is the integration of fine-particulate sensors directly into the air conditioning system. Mahle states that because this gives the sensors immediate access to both cabin air and external air, the air conditioning system can react quickly and precisely to changing pollution levels and use the appropriate cleaning strategy to keep the air in the vehicle clean.
The company says there are several advantages compared with other systems available on the market: due to integration within the air conditioning system itself, the solution is more compact, lighter weight, and cheaper than existing solutions. Mahle also highlighted that existing solutions measure the level of pollution using complex standalone sensor arrays, often connected via hoses to the central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit.
“Customers will find that the air in the vehicle cabin is noticeably cleaner and the fine-particulate values in the car are lower thanks to our new smart air conditioning system,” explained Laurent Art, director, advanced engineering thermal management at Mahle. “Furthermore, this new system lets them check the air quality in the vehicle in real time.”
In conjunction with the concept, Mahle has also developed a new generation of fine-particulate filters whose dust extraction is near constant over their entire lifetimes.
