E-Mailed comments from Mitchell Oates of Mooresville, NC. (President, Charlotte Chapter of the Electric Auto Association:

Hi Jack,
Air conditioning in electric vehicles, or EV's as we refer to them, has always been something of a sore spot. This is especially true at the do-it-yourself hobbyist level, which is the vast majority of EV owners, stuck with converting a piece of Detroit iron. Most hobbyist conversions use 6 or 12 volt lead acid golf cart batteries wired in series, usually anywhere from 96 to 144 volts. At the most, these battery packs store energy equivalent to only 1/3 to 1/2 a gallon of gas, while adding 1200 lb or better to the weight of the vehicle. Due to the efficiency of the electric motor, they can still achieve ranges of 40 to 60 miles per charge. However, due to the limited energy supply, anything that puts an additional load on the main battery pack, such as heating or A/C, will have a negative effect on driving range.

Most conversions that have A/C have to make use of the stock A/C equipment that came with the vehicle, which tends to be inefficient and power hungry. This is usually done in one of two ways. First is to make use of a 1 to 2 HP DC motor that is set up to direct drive the A/C compressor and powered directly from the main battery pack. These motors are usually as large or larger than the compressor and cost around $400 new, not to mention the control hardware for them. Second is to drive the compressor by a belt drive off a tail shaft on the main propulsion motor. This usually requires adjusting the electronic controller for the main motor so that it "idles" at a certain rpm to maintain A/C when at a stoplight. A third method, which I've only heard of one gentleman doing, is to disassemble a home window A/C unit and use a DC to AC inverter to power the compressor. In all three cases, the vehicle being converted had to have A/C to begin with.

Disadvantages are, first of all, the cost involved. Second is the added power drain on the battery pack. Third is having to leave the grill open for air flow over the condenser instead of blocking it off, leading to aerodynamic losses. Fourth is finding room for the added equipment on a vehicle where you're trying to find room to mount 20 batteries, an electric motor, motor controller, battery charger, and all the other associated hardware necessary for an EV.

The EV's available for lease from the major car manufacturers use high tech high efficiency heat pumps and compressors to minimize drain on the battery pack, and can be set up to pre-cool the vehicle while plugged in to recharge. However, these high tech items carry high tech price tags, run off of very high voltage battery packs (240 to 360 volts), still place a drain on the battery pack while driving, and are generally unavailable except to OEM manufacturers.

Air conditioning is a perennial topic on the Electric Vehicle Discussion List (EVDL) that usually comes up around this time of year. Last year a gentleman from Canada made mention of your product. I checked out your website and decided to try the 12V Icester.

The vehicle I use it in is basically an '81 Ford Courier pickup that was converted to electric when new, and which I obtained used 7 years ago. At the time, I was in the Navy in WA state and A/C was not a big concern. However, since retiring from the Navy and returning to NC with 90+ degree temperatures during the summer, A/C became a priority. Ford Couriers and Mazda B2000's from this time didn't have A/C as an option, so there was no stock A/C equipment to work with and the ventilation system isn't configured for any type of automotive A/C.

My daily commute is 20 miles each way, 40 miles total, to and from work. Being on 2nd shift, the leg into work is made during the hottest part of the day in mid-afternoon. Not a good feeling to arrive at work already sweaty, clammy, and hot. I use a 28 quart ice chest, which is the largest that will easily fit in the passenger side floorboard, and place the Icester in the middle of the bench seat. In addition, I added window tint and extra insulation to the inside of the cab, and took pains to seal up any air leaks. I also keep the truck in shade until I start the drive into work to prevent the interior from becoming heated.

Last summer, on days when temperatures were in the 80's, having the Icester on medium and blowing out into the cab kept the cab comfortable on the way to work. Running on high this same way actually made it very cool in the cab and I would have to direct air flow away from me as it would start to get uncomfortably cool on exposed skin. On days when temperatures were in the 90's, I would turn the Icester so that it was blowing directly on me.While the cab itself was on the muggy side, having the air blow directly on me kept me comfortable. Two bags of ice from a local store fill the ice chest to capacity, and even on high on the hottest days on arrival at work more than half the ice was still left.

The Icester comes in handy also on the return trip late at night. Even though the temperatures have cooled down, it still is humid and muggy, especially during or after a late evening thunderstorm. With a good portion of the ice still left, placing the Icester on low removes the humidity from the cab and can actually cool the cab down to the point of being uncomfortable, even fogging up the windshield unless directed away from it. It has the same effect when driving in the rain, removing the humidity and preventing the windshield from fogging, which would normally require running defrost and the electric heater which would place an extra drain on the battery pack.

A good compromise I've found between paying the local store $2 each day for ice or trying to accumulate enough ice from the refrigerator ice maker is to fill the ice chest half with Coleman 12 oz freeze bottles and half with cubed ice from the refrigerator. The ice is pretty much consumed on the way to work while the freeze bottles are still mostly solid, providing cooling for the drive home at night. The ice provides the high capacity cooling on the drive into work, and the freeze bottles provide the low capacity demand on the return home at night.
I've also experimented with Rubbermaid freeze bottles, basically an empty container with screw-on lid for DIY freeze bottles. Adding enough non-toxic antifreeze to create a 10% solution lowered the freezing point and added cooling capacity. If placed in the ice chest for a half-hour or more before using the Icester, they will actually freeze the water between them into a solid mass.

Mitchell Oates
401 Mackwood Road
Mooresville, NC 28115
President, Charlotte Chapter
Electric Auto Association

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Swampy 12-Volt Cooling Systemsare Proudly made in the USA

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Swampy 12-Volt Cooling Systemsare Proudly made in the USA