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AC Question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by nwpa, Jun 3, 2007.

  1. nwpa

    nwpa New Member

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    I know the air conditioning is driven by an electric motor?

    Am I corredt to assume that it is a 12 volt motor?

    We are still very pleased with the Prius. Saturday morning a friend gave me a ride in one of the small Buicks and it did not compare at all well especially the engine noise.
     
    #1 nwpa, Jun 3, 2007
  2. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Perk @ Jun 3 2007, 03:18 PM) [snapback]454595[/snapback]</div>
    No, it runs off the high voltage battery.
     
    #2 IsrAmeriPrius, Jun 3, 2007
  3. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Nope, it's a 200 volt motor, driven by a separate section of the
    inverter from the hybrid battery.
    .
    Think about it: the A/C needs at least 2 kilowatts to create
    enough cooling for the car's cabin, almost like a regular window
    A/C in a house. At 12 volts, that would be on the order of 200 amps
    into the motor, which is about like cranking the starter on a regular
    car. The voltage drop alone through those cables from the back
    would make that infeasible, let alone the fact that the whole 12V
    system is fused at 100A and never expects to get anywhere near that.
    .
    So a mere 10 amps from the hybrid battery, with a variable-speed
    system able to bring that efficiently down to just the amount of
    cooling needed, is the way to go.
    .
    http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/udh2/800/scroll.jpg
    .
    _H*
     
    #3 hobbit, Jun 3, 2007
  4. nwpa

    nwpa New Member

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    Hobbit:

    Thankyou for your quick answer. It makes sense, with your input, it to be a high voltage motor.

    Also, thank you for the link to the photo! It is good to know that it is not a reciprocating compressor.
     
    #4 nwpa, Jun 3, 2007
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