Quallion Lithium-Ion Battery-Powered Anti-Idling HVAC System

With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Quallion, a U.S. lithium-ion battery system developer, launched a new lithium-ion battery-driven anti-idling HVAC system in October 2010. The system is designed for cabin environment adjustment and energy efficiency improvement in Class 6-8 trucks and can meet the electrical system needs of vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket.

HVAC is the abbreviation of "Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning", which belongs to the category of Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). According to the design, the system can provide battery-driven heating, ventilation and air conditioning for the truck for about 10 hours without interruption.

The product developed by Quallion is applicable to Class 6-8 trucks, which are typical heavy trucks. The basic weight GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight) range of Class 6 trucks is 19,501 to 26,000 pounds (8,846 to 11,793 kilograms), such as GMC Topkick C5500 and Ford F-650; the basic weight GVWR range of Class 8 trucks is 33,000 pounds (14,969 kilograms) or more, such as various types of trailer tractors.

Heavy trucks account for a large proportion of atmospheric nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions and fuel waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that trucks waste up to 3 billion gallons of diesel fuel each year due to idling, and emit 11 million tons of carbon dioxide, 180,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 5,000 tons of particulate matter. Idling is the least fuel-efficient way for trucks to operate, because idling trucks are often not connected to high-speed systems such as turbochargers to improve energy utilization. Due to the large number of heavy trucks currently in use, it is impossible to adopt advanced diesel engines or pollution control measures one by one, so this has become the most difficult "chronic disease" in pollution emissions.

Quallion’s solution is easy to install and relatively inexpensive. Quallion’s lithium-ion battery-powered HVAC system is adaptable to original equipment trucks. Its 6 kWh energy storage system uses 18,650 high-energy lithium-ion battery cells connected in series or parallel, using Quallion’s exclusive MATRIX™ advanced battery technology. MATRIX™ battery technology has high reliability and safety and has been widely used in various automotive, aviation, aerospace reserve power sources and starter motors, such as electric vehicles , unmanned submarines (UUVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In contrast to the 10-hour cabin climate adjustment time, the lithium-ion battery-powered HVAC system only takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery when the truck engine is running.

“This technology will revolutionize the way we look at cabin cooling systems for both commercial and military trucks,” said Paul Beach, President of Quallion . “By developing a high-efficiency HVAC system, Quallion’s lithium-ion battery solution can reduce weight by approximately 25% compared to lead-acid batteries commonly used in truck HVAC systems. The resulting fuel savings will significantly reduce fleet operating costs while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Paul Beach also revealed that when Quallion initially developed a new system to solve the anti-idling needs, it estimated that the reserve energy required to support sufficient operating time was 10 kWh. However, the company worked with its Tier 1 supplier partners to develop a new HVAC system that halved the energy storage requirement to only 5 kWh (6 kWh of actual storage level has margin).

“Advanced power technologies like those developed by Quallion are increasingly important to our nation’s energy and security infrastructure,” said Congressman Brad Sherman. “In addition, Quallion batteries are great for the environment. I’m excited about the emergence of this innovative company and the creation of new, high-skilled jobs.”

Quallion has installed the new lithium-ion battery-powered HVAC system on a Class 8 truck for preliminary field testing, and plans to use the data obtained for future commercial mass production. The company publicly exhibited the system for the first time at the Battery Show in San Jose, California, held from October 5 to 7. Quallion did not disclose whether the battery cell can be used for other applications besides HVAC. Although the battery cell is specifically designed for HVAC operation, it is likely to have the ability to be used for other electric drive applications.

Quallion’s new product will not be commercialized until the testing is completed. The company has not yet provided a progress schedule, and the specific situation remains to be seen.