Daikin develops a new refrigerant Several media including Nikkei Asia reported that Daikin Industries has developed a refrigerant for EVs. Daikin Industries is the top air conditioner maker in Japan. […]
Several media including Nikkei Asia reported that Daikin Industries has developed a refrigerant for EVs. Daikin Industries is the top air conditioner maker in Japan. Thanks to this new development, the company expects that it can extend EV’s range by up to 50%. In addition, the Japanese maker is planning to sell the product by 2025.
As for the mechanism of air conditioners, they use the heat to heat and cool the air inside the car. On the other side, the heat is generated by compressing the refrigerant. Daikin’s new refrigerant successfully reduce a boiling point, which is about minus 40 C. In fact, this number is 10 to 15 degrees lower than the conventional product. As a result, the product can reduce the power required for compression.
If an EV is running and operating in an urban area of Japan with the air conditioner, a range would be 200 km on a full charge. However, the company expects that a new produce could make us travel 100km more with the new refrigerant.
According to its official page, Daikin’s vision is to provide new value to the world through air and the environment. Founders established the company in Osaka in 1924. After that, Daikin has expanded business, which is primarily air conditioning, over 160 countries.
The Japanese company aims to help solve social and community problems and grow business. In fact, Daikin strives to meet expectations and maintain trust worldwide in its businesses. As a result, it can be a global company that supports human health and comfort while creating new value for air and the environment.
When we think of how to reduce the cost of EVs, many of us talk about their batteries. In fact, Volkswagen opened “Power Day” to reveal its plan to produce batteries by themselves. Another example is that General Motors tries to reach the value chain more by securing lithium. It is true that batteries are and still remain the major part of EV’s cost. However, if our mind is stuck into this idea, it seems that we may lose another opportunity.
In this sense, Daikin’s new refrigerant shows a good example. This is because people will attract its products if they can realize extension of EV’s range more than 1.5 times. The range is also a big issue for customers and it can affect the EV’s price, too. If we can drive more, this new feature incentivizes us to purchase EVs. It means that the products can be more expensive or more people will purchase them.
What we can learn from Daikin’s new product is to think out of box. We naturally have status-quo bias or unconscious bias. As a result, we sometimes dismiss our opportunities without noticing. Of course, it is difficult to overcome our nature, but there are some possible solutions. Collaboration with different companies and people can be a solution. In another example, it might be better for us to access information that we do not usually check. In this uncertain age, we can seek for any chance to improve our society and life.
