An electrified vehicle and method for heating a passenger cabin of an electrified vehicle that may include an internal combustion engine in addition to an electric machine and a traction battery for supplying the electric machine control an electric heating element to store thermal energy while the vehicle is connected to an external power source that is also used to charge the traction battery, and to extract stored thermal energy during operation of the vehicle with the electric heating element turned off to extend the electric driving range of the vehicle while also providing heat to the passenger cabin. The electric heating element may positioned and controlled to heat one or more elements directly by mechanical contact, or indirectly by heating a circulating liquid coolant to a temperature above a current or anticipated external ambient temperature.

Systems and methods are provided for determining, by processing circuitry, a vehicle occupant has left a seat of a vehicle (or the seat is unoccupied), and in response to determining the vehicle occupant has left the seat (or the seat is unoccupied), causing a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of the vehicle to thermally store energy in the seat.

A vehicular compartment temperature control system includes an insulated compartment disposed within a vehicle. The system includes at least one cooling element at the insulated compartment and operable to cool an interior cavity of the insulated compartment. A temperature sensor senses temperature within the insulated compartment. An output of the temperature sensor is provided to a control to determine temperature of the interior cavity. The control, responsive to receiving a signal indicative of a user selected temperature that is selected by a user via operating a user input of the vehicular compartment temperature control system, and responsive to determination that the determined temperature of the interior cavity of the insulated compartment is greater than the user selected temperature by at least a threshold amount, controls the at least one cooling element to adjust temperature of the interior cavity of the insulated compartment toward the user selected temperature.

A vehicle temperature control apparatus for controlling temperature of a temperature control object, which is at least one of inside air of a vehicle compartment and a vehicle component, includes a heat capacitive element capable of storing heat, a refrigeration cycle in which heat is absorbed from a low temperature side and is dissipated to a high temperature side, a heat exchanger that causes the heat capacitive element to exchange heat with refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle, and a heat dissipation portion which dissipates heat in the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle to the temperature control object. Thus, a temperature control by using the heat capacitive element can be effectively performed.

Provided is a layout structure of refrigerant piping near a heat accumulator in a vehicle, which is connected to the heat accumulator and can reduce cooling of the refrigerant piping near the heat accumulator due to blowing of wind that comes with running of the vehicle, thereby suppressing heat dissipation of the refrigerant flowing into and out of the heat accumulator. The heat accumulator mounted in a front portion of the vehicle is arranged to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to a front-rear direction of the vehicle, and has refrigerant inflow part and outflow part at an end. The refrigerant piping includes inflow piping connected to the inflow part and outflow piping connected to the outflow part. The inflow piping and outflow piping are arranged to extend along a length direction of the heat accumulator in a state of being close to a back surface of the heat accumulator.

A vehicle is provided with a temperature-control system for controlling the temperature of an interior of the vehicle. The system has a temperature-control medium, preferably a liquid temperature-control medium, guided in a temperature-control circuit. The temperature-control system is operatively connectable or operatively connected to a source temperature-control system such that the temperature-control medium guided in the temperature-control circuit of the temperature-control system may be thermally influenced by the source temperature-control system. The temperature-control circuit also is operatively connectable or operatively connected to at least one interior temperature-control system such that the temperature of the interior of the vehicle may be modified by the temperature-control medium in the temperature-control circuit.

A heat storage system has a heat source that generates heat and radiates the heat to a first heat medium and a heat storage body that stores heat. The heat storage body changes to a first phase in a solid state when a temperature of the heat storage body is lower than or equal to a phase transition temperature, and changes to a second phase in a solid state when a temperature of the heat storage body exceeds the phase transition temperature. The heat storage body stores or radiates heat due to a phase transition between the first phase and the second phase. A heat storage mode in which the heat storage body stores heat of the first heat medium and a heat radiation mode in which the heat storage body radiates the heat stored in the heat storage body to a heat transfer target are switchable.

The invention relates to a thermal-management system for a vehicle comprising: at least one calories storage and/or frigories storage (S1, S2), at least one element of the vehicle to be heated or cooled, at least one source of calories or frigories, detection means adapted to detect whether calories or frigories are available at one of the said sources, control means able to distribute the calories or frigories available at the sources to the elements to be heated or cooled, according to transient and nominal needs. characterized in that it comprises prediction means capable of making at least one prediction aimed at determining: whether calories or frigories will be available at a later date from any of the said sources and/or, whether a need for calories or frigories will exist at a later date at one of the said elements to be heated or cooled.

An air conditioner energy-saving inflatable device is adapted to be disposed in a vehicle body. The air conditioner energy-saving inflatable device includes an air pump, an air bag, a circuit board and a sensor. The air bag is connected to the air pump and adapted to be disposed beside an area in the vehicle body. The circuit board is electrically connected to the air pump and includes a controller. When an air-conditioning system of the vehicle body is activated, the sensor is adapted to sense whether the area is vacant. When the sensor senses that the area is vacant, the controller instructs the air pump to inflate the air bag, so that the air bag fills at least a portion of the area. When the air-conditioning system of the vehicle body stops running, the air bag is deflated. A vehicle is also provided.

An air conditioning system for a vehicle. The air conditioning system includes a cooling line adapted to transport a coolant fluid and a first heat-exchanging arrangement connected to the cooling line. The air conditioning system includes a first liquid container being arranged to hold a first liquid heat exchange medium and the first heat-exchanging arrangement is arranged inside the first liquid container for exchanging heat between the coolant fluid and the first liquid heat exchange medium.