TOKYO -- Daikin Industries, Japan's top air conditioner maker, has developed a refrigerant for electric vehicles that can extend their range by up to 50%, Nikkei has learned. The company plans to commercialize the product by 2025.
Air conditioners use the heat generated by compressing the refrigerant to heat and cool the air inside the car. Daikin's new refrigerant has a boiling point of about minus 40 C, 10 to 15 degrees lower than the conventional product. That reduces the power required for compression.
