The cabin fan moves outside air into the cabin. The occupants of the vehicle can regulate the temperature by heating or cooling the air. The latter is possible when the vehicle is equipped with air conditioning. Today, almost all passenger cars and commercial vehicles are equipped with air conditioning as standard. The operating principle of air conditioning is based on the state changes of the refrigerant, where it changes from vapor to liquid and vice versa in different parts of the system. During the phase transition from liquid to vapor (evaporation process), heat is absorbed, cooling the incoming air and creating a refreshing effect in the interior.
As early as 1939, the car brand Packard was the first car manufacturer to use air conditioning in a car. Air conditioning became popular in American cars from the 60s and also in European cars from the 90s.
The tiles below show the different processes and components that make up the air conditioning system. The “Air conditioning introduction” page describes the general operation of the air conditioning system. The topics that can be clicked on via the other tiles go into more detail about the part, describing the different versions and possible fault symptoms.
