DENSO's New Inline E-Compressor is Keeping Things Cool


Making World Debut On Ford Motor Company's Electrified Vehicles

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- DENSO's new inline electric (e) compressor will make its global debut on Ford Motor Company's Focus Electric, which began production this past December with retail production ramping up the first half of the year. The inline e-compressor will also appear on the Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids and Energi Plug-in Hybrids, due to hit North American roads in 2012.

DENSO's inline e-compressor is smaller, lighter and quieter than previous generations. Despite a decrease in weight and size, the inline e-compressor maintains the same cooling capacity as our previous generation while consuming less power. This means it pulls less juice from the battery and helps extend the lithium ion battery range when the air-conditioning (A/C) is running. Also, for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), the e-compressor helps make the car less reliant on the internal combustion engine on days when you flip on the A/C switch.

Not only does the inline e-compressor keep the cabin cool, but it also can cool the lithium-ion battery to help it maintain an optimal temperature. This helps control the temperature of the lithium ion, which improves the battery's range and overall longevity.

Component Packaging:

DENSO's inline e-compressor is slimmer and less bulky than its predecessor, allowing for easier under-the-hood component packaging where real-estate is at a premium. DENSO improved the packaging by repositioning the e-compressor's integrated inverter in-line with the motor as opposed to the current integrated inverter that is stacked above the motor.

Electrification Changes the Way We Do Things:

When moving from an internal combustion engine to an electrified vehicle, sometimes you have to change the way things work or how they sound. Enter the compressor. That's what's working under-the-hood driving your air conditioning system to keep you cool and comfortable.

Conventional compressors are powered by an engine's belt drive, but EVs don't have belt-driven engines that energize the peripheral systems (Hence, the move to an electric-driven compressor). This electrified compressor is a little more sophisticated in that it has its own motor, inverter and circuit board.

Also, when you're not using an internal combustion motor your vehicle gets a whole lot quieter, which is why it's increasingly important for other components to be "silenced." No one wants to hear or talk over their car components.

DENSO's Thermal Expertise

DENSO is one of the leading suppliers of thermal components worldwide. Our know-how and technical expertise with thermal systems gives us a unique advantage to develop e-compressors for each specific vehicle application from an overall systems approach.

We have been mass producing e-compressors since 2003 and we were the first to integrate the inverter with the compressor into one component. DENSO will continue to develop cutting-edge products to meet our customers' future needs and requirements.

DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electric, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 120,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, totaled US$37.7 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9.3 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com.

In North America, DENSO employs more than 13,000 people with consolidated sales totaling US$6.4 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

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