Mahle: Focus on air conditioning condensers for hybrid and electric vehicles

Mahle: Focus on air conditioning condensers for hybrid and electric vehicles

The exposed installation position of the air conditioning condenser on the front of the vehicle increases the likelihood of damage. This is much more than just a comfort problem, because a reliably functioning air conditioning system is essential, especially for hybrid or electric vehicles whose batteries and power electronics need to be cooled. A failure in these vehicles can lead to the vehicle coming to a standstill or damage to components. With a total of 21 logistics centers worldwide, Mahle reliably covers the demand from independent workshops for air conditioning condensers.

"The increasing spread of hybrid and electric vehicles is changing the importance of air conditioning services. This results in higher service levels for workshops," explains Olaf Henning, member of Mahle's executive board and head of the Aftermarket division. "When workshops educate about the importance of air conditioning service, they protect their customers' vehicles from damage and ensure their mobility. We support them in this by providing information materials, training and also our proven A/C service and diagnostic solutions," continues Henning.

The task of the air conditioning condenser is to cool and liquefy the refrigerant that has been heated by compression in the air conditioning compressor. The hot refrigerant gas flows into the condenser and releases heat into the environment via the pipe and fins. Due to the cooling, the refrigerant then leaves the air conditioning condenser in a liquid state. A defect in the air conditioning condenser leads to a reduction in cooling performance and even a failure of the entire air conditioning system, and often also to the condenser fan running continuously. If there is any suspicion, we recommend checking for leaks, contamination or damage as well as a pressure test on the high and low pressure sides by the workshop.