Efficient Accessories

Currently, little attention is paid to reducing vehicles' heating and cooling "loads" (power requirements) or making their accessories energy-efficient. But in a Hypercar^® vehicle, where the power needed for propulsion is so low, standard accessory loads would become an important part of total power consumption. Through careful choice and integration of efficient components, however, these loads could be reduced to about one-fourth of the current average, while providing equivalent or better functions.

Air conditioning is the single biggest load by far, so the first order of business is to ensure that the cabin doesn't get hot in the first place: insulation, special heat-reflecting (but visually clear) glass, solar-powered vent fans, and other design improvements can keep out most of the unwanted heat. Innovative cooling and dehumidification systems, run not directly by the engine but by its waste heat, can handle the rest. The same design improvements can minimize heating and ventilation loads, too.

Other loads can be reduced with new kinds of headlights and taillights (which shine brighter on a third the energy) and the use of fiber optics to illuminate the cabin and control panels with a single low-power lamp located outside the passenger compartment. Entertainment and other electronics can be designed for maximum efficiency as well.