For most parts of the U.S., warm air has arrived and many people are cranking up the air conditioning as soon as they hop in their hot cars. What a great invention, second only to heaters when the weather is not so warm. Here’s a question for all you car experts out there: What car was the first to have air conditioning?
Early automobiles were not exactly comfortable. Their skinny tires and rugged construction provided for a very rough ride. In winter, passengers bundled up and in the summer, air conditioning was a breeze that resulted from a top speed of 15 mph. Nothing gets hotter than the interior of a car. When car companies began closing up the cabs on cars, something had to be done. Vents were put in the floors of cars, but this brought in more dirt and dust than it did cool air.
In 1884, William Whiteley had a great idea of placing blocks of ice in a holder under horse carriages and blowing air inside by means of a fan attached to the axle. A bucket of near a floor vent was the automotive equivalent.
An evaporative cooling system followed. A temperature-reducing effect of air passing over water was called a Such systems are actually still available for vans and RVs. This system was invented by a company called Nash. The All-Weather Eye could also be used to heat a car.
But the first car with an actual refrigeration system was the 1940 model year Packard.
The "cooling coil", a large evaporator, was located behind the seat, and the only control was a blower switch. This option allowed Packard to advertise, "Forget the heat this summer in the only air conditioned car in the world."
Cadillac followed in 1941 with 300 air conditioned cars. These
early A/C systems had one big drawback: there was no compressor clutch, so the
pump was on when the engine was running. To shut the system off, you had to
stop, get out, open the hood, and remove the belt. It wasn't until after WW II
that Cadillac advertised a new, high-tech feature: air conditioning controls.
The controls were located on the rear package shelf, which meant the driver had
to climb into the back seat to shut the system off. It was still better than
reaching under the hood.
In 1954, about 36,000 cars had factory-installed air conditioning. In 1955,
seven more auto makers offerde air conditioning as an option. The last American
car to to jump on the air conditioning band wagon was Studebaker in 1956. In
1957, all Cadillac Eldorado Broughams came with air conditioning, making it the
first model to list air conditioning as a standard item. In 1966, the Motor
Service Manual states that 3,560,000 A/C units had been serviced in the U.S.
Sales of A/C equipped cars soon took off. The 1987 figure for A/C units was
19,571,000. It's estimated that now over 80% of the cars and light trucks in
operation have air conditioning.
Why such growth in the 70s and 80s? In the late 70s, people began moving to warmer states. In the 80s, the option-craze hit. People wanted cars with every option possible. Dealers made extra money on extra options, so they ordered cars that were loaded, A/C being one of the most expensive options. Systems were getting better, and people realized that they didn't really have to sweat like pigs because their A/C units didn’t work well.
Today, heating and air conditioning systems are very efficient. Modern ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) set-ups are more dependable than the older vacuum and thermostatic creations. Computers also insure that both the passenger and driver stay comfortable.
The future of automotive air conditioning is changing, and for the better. There are now more electronics and compressor designs. CFC's (chloro-fluoro-carbons, also known as R-12 or Freon) are causing a great deal of damage. A tiny quantity can destroy a lot of ozone. Auto repair businesses are taking steps to reduce the amount of R-12 that escapes during service work. Most cars today use a new refrigerant called R-134A, which contains no chlorine.