Konvekta wins Innovation Label award at Busworld 2013

From 18 to 23 October 2013 the 22^nd edition of Busworld Kortrijk trade show offered visitors from all over the world the opportunity to discover what's new in the world of buses and coaches. One of the winners of this year’s innovation label award is an air conditioning system developed by Konvekta, which uses CO₂as a refrigerant.

More than 32,000 visitors from 116 countries visited the 2013 edition of Busworld Kortrijk. For the first time this year, an innovation label award was presented to manufacturers of components and accessories, which are clearly innovative.

Innovative CO₂ mobile air conditioning system by Konvekta

One of the winners of the innovation label is the CO₂ air conditioning system for buses, developed by Konvekta. The refrigerant CO₂ replaces chemical refrigerants like R134a and R1234yf. CO₂ as refrigerant demonstrates superior ecological, chemical, economic and safety characteristics compared to its chemical counterparts.

City of Klagenfurt is relying on e-buses with CO₂ MAC

The municipal utilities of the city of Klagenfurt who have their first electric bus in daily service since June 2013 is a recent example where Konvekta’s technology has been deployed. The bus was supplied by the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris and equipped with a CO₂ MAC system by Konvekta.

Currently, conventional air conditioning units of electric buses are energised by the electric power of the battery, reducing the range of the vehicle clearly. The innovative solution builds on Konvekta’s existing CO₂ air conditioning technology with heat pump capability. Only one coolant circuit can guarantee cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. At the same time the batteries are tempered, enabling them to always operate in an optimal temperature frame in relation to the power output. On the one hand this increases the vehicle range by up to 40% and at the same time extends the life span of the sensitive and expensive energy storage systems.

CO₂ systems prove superiority in terms of energy efficiency

In terms of energy efficiency, CO₂ air conditioning systems prove their superiority. Based on the greater compression efficiency and the better heat transfer of CO₂, systems reduce the consumption of fuel even for higher levels of cooling power. Considerably reduced service and maintenance costs are added benefits. Thus, for example, expensive and special tools are not required for discharging the systems and the disposal or recycling of the synthetic coolants is no longer necessary. And thanks to the refrigerant price of just €2 per kilogram of CO₂, the costs of filling or refilling are extremely competitive.

Konvekta’s technology demonstrates availability of CO₂ MAC

With effect from 2017, CO₂ air conditioning equipment is expected to become standard in the automotive industry. Konvekta’s CO₂ air conditioning solutions clearly demonstrate that this concept is already a reality for buses and trains. Numerous buses and trains have been driving ahead cleanly with this innovative technology for some years. Konvekta discovered the potential of CO₂ air conditioning technology more than 15 years ago. In 1996, Konvekta was the first company to launch a functional CO₂-based air conditioning system in a bus on the road.