Photo: Tesla Inc.
Technology in our vehicles is moving very quickly lately, with more and more features and devices finding their way on board every day, and yet there have been no real advancements in the heating, ventialtion and air conditioning department.
What's there to invent, you might ask? Air comes out through some vents in the dashboard at different temperatures depending on how hot or cold it is inside. There's nothing wrong with the way we do things, so why tinker with it?
Well, just because nothing is wrong, it doesn't mean it can't be done better. Since there have been no real reviews of the Tesla Model 3 so far we have no idea how its climate control system performs, but we do have the patent application file.
As usual, the drawings are pretty much impossible to decipher, but the text description makes up for it. And what it says makes so much sense - and falls in line with most people's complaints about the way in-car AC works - that we can't help wondering what took the industry so long to find this solution?
“Traditional automotive vents have a low aspect ratio, meaning that their width is relatively similar to their height. For example, circular or rectangular vents are common. These vents are generally positioned flush with the surface of the instrument panel. However, these point-like outlets are not optimized for distributing the air over a wider area, which necessitates the use of multiple vents for each passenger. Also, the appearance of the vents may be unsightly and can disrupt an otherwise uniform design of the instrument panel or other interior surface.”
So, the advantages of this system are twofold: not only does it look "less disruptive," something you can't really argue against, but it also helps with the air distribution inside the cabin. The only downside we can think of is the control system. Like everything inside the Model 3, it is accessed through the center touchscreen display.
That means you will have to take your eyes off the road for any adjustment, even if it's decreasing the temperature by one degree. But if that's the tradeoff for being able to cool down without having cold air blown in your face constantly, then we're willing to live with it. Now let's wait and see how it actually does in the real world.
Well, just because nothing is wrong, it doesn't mean it can't be done better. Since there have been no real reviews of the Tesla Model 3 so far we have no idea how its climate control system performs, but we do have the patent application file.
As usual, the drawings are pretty much impossible to decipher, but the text description makes up for it. And what it says makes so much sense - and falls in line with most people's complaints about the way in-car AC works - that we can't help wondering what took the industry so long to find this solution?
“Traditional automotive vents have a low aspect ratio, meaning that their width is relatively similar to their height. For example, circular or rectangular vents are common. These vents are generally positioned flush with the surface of the instrument panel. However, these point-like outlets are not optimized for distributing the air over a wider area, which necessitates the use of multiple vents for each passenger. Also, the appearance of the vents may be unsightly and can disrupt an otherwise uniform design of the instrument panel or other interior surface.”
So, the advantages of this system are twofold: not only does it look "less disruptive," something you can't really argue against, but it also helps with the air distribution inside the cabin. The only downside we can think of is the control system. Like everything inside the Model 3, it is accessed through the center touchscreen display.
That means you will have to take your eyes off the road for any adjustment, even if it's decreasing the temperature by one degree. But if that's the tradeoff for being able to cool down without having cold air blown in your face constantly, then we're willing to live with it. Now let's wait and see how it actually does in the real world.
The AC controls on Model 3 are genius - no clumsy sliders to direct airflow. #touchscreen pic.twitter.com/PLkBXrSzVE
— bill lee (@westcoastbill) August 13, 2017
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