Global and China Automotive Comfort System (Seating system, Air Conditioning System) Research Report, 2024

Automotive comfort systems include seating system, air conditioning system, soundproof system and chassis suspension to improve comfort of drivers and passengers. This report highlights seating system and air conditioning system.

Seating system: the penetration of comfort functions rises, and zero-gravity seats usher in a boom period.

As intelligent vehicles gain popularity, automotive seats have ever more comfort functions such as heating, ventilation, massage, electric leg/foot rests and memory seat. Not only is the penetration of these functions on the rise, but they also begin to spread from the front row to the third row of seats.

In the case of seat heating function, from January to November 2023, its installation rate in the front row and the second row was 7.8% and 3.9%, respectively. Since 2022 the third row of seats has also begun to be equipped with heating function, and the main models include Li L8/L9, WEY Gaoshan and NIO ES8.

In terms of entire seats, the installation of zero-gravity seats has reached a small peak. Since being installed on AITO M7 (RMB289,800-379,800) in July 2022, zero-gravity seats have been mounted on models like IM LS7 (RMB309,800-459,800), AITO S7 (RMB249,800-349,800), ZEEKR X (RMB189,800-209,800) ), WEY Blue Mountain DHT (RMB273,800-308,800), Denza D9 (RMB335,000-445,000), and Trumpchi E8 (RMB209,800-229,800). They have been optional as driver’s and copilot seats of Deepal S7 (RMB149,900-202,900), a model launched in June 2023.

In the future, zero-gravity seats will be equipped with various sensors to enable adaptive adjustment, health monitoring and other functions, and comfort functions will keep being upgraded.

Faurecia: In April 2023, Faurecia introduced Zero-Gravity Captain Chair. It offers additional comfort with sensors able to identify potential physical pain and then activate corrective actions to alleviate any discomfort. It incorporates high-tech comfort solutions, such as an inflatable neck pillow and a headrest that automatically adjusts to its occupant’s height. As well as lower-back support and massage functions with pressure mapping to enhance relaxation, it includes a new, immersive haptic solution called VIBE, where tactile sensations are created by the car seat, stimulating the user’s sense of touch. When activated, digital 4D sound algorithms automatically create vibrations that accompany any sound played on the vehicle’s audio system.

Yanfeng: In January 2024, Yanfeng launched the new-generation Hover Seat equipped with Seat Sensing Posture ID technology. Based on zero-gravity research, this seat actively relieves fatigue for passengers during driving by detecting the user's body languages such as sitting posture, fatigue level and body size.

• Adaptive Welcome Mode for Different Body Sizes: When a passenger gets into the car, the seat’s pressure pad sensors accurately recognize information about his/her body size and automatically adjust the headrest, lumbar support and side wings to make the seat more closely fit his/her body.
• Seating Position Recognition and Fitting: The sensor determines the seating posture of the occupant according to the pressure distribution to the seat. Equipped with a matrix of multi-faceted support blocks, the seat automatically adjusts the blocks to give the most comfortable support to the body where needed.
• Fatigue Detection and Automatic Massage: The seat detects the occupant changing their posture over time, then determines the degree and location of fatigue, and automatically triggers the partition massage function.

Air conditioning system: as the installation rate of heat pump air conditioners rises, air conditioning control systems become personalized, energy-efficient and active.

Heat pump air conditioner is an air conditioning system that integrates cooling and heating functions. Its core components include a compressor and a heat exchanger, which control indoor temperature by absorbing or dissipating heat in the air. By virtue of high heating efficiency, obvious energy saving effect, improvement of cruising range and other benefits, heat pump air conditioner has become a new track in the development of electric vehicle air conditioning systems.

The data from the publisher show that in China electric vehicles have begun to carry heat pump air conditioners since 2021, with a surging penetration, up to 23.3% from January to November 2023.

Heat pump air conditioner refrigerants are typically R-134a, R-1234yf and R744 (carbon dioxide, CO₂). R744 can extend the cruising range of vehicles because of its better effects in environmental protection, safety, flow heat exchange and low temperature heating, and the prices of its raw materials are low. In the future, CO₂ heat pump systems using R744 refrigerant will become mainstream. Chinese suppliers have started deploying the CO₂ heat pump market:

Moreover in terms of air conditioning function, OEMs also head in the direction of refinement. AI algorithms make air conditioning systems controlled in multiple zones, and allow the driver and passengers to set their own temperatures, meeting the needs of different occupants. AI algorithms not only enable accurate control over parameters like refrigerant circulation and fan speed, but also take into account their impacts on battery cruising range to achieve energy-saving control effects.

NIO ES8 (launched in December 2022) packs an intelligent five-zone independent air-conditioning system, which uses a self-developed air-conditioning energy consumption calculation method to achieve: five-zone temperature control, five-zone blowing mode, and four-zone air volume adjustment, accurately controlling 0.5℃ in the range of 15-31℃.This system can be controlled via voice interaction or mobile phone APP remotely.

• Front row: 2-zone temperature control, 2-zone blowing mode, 2-zone air volume control
  •Second row: 2-zone temperature control, 2-zone blowing mode, 1-zone air volume control
  •Third row: 1-zone temperature control, 1-zone blowing mode, 1-zone air volume control

The OTA Update 4.6.2 has been officially pushed to Li L9 (launched in June 2022), adding a new mode of air conditioning energy saving. In this mode, the car will reduce the power of air conditioning and automatically adjust seat heating and steering wheel heating. While maintaining interior comfortable temperature, this mode cuts down energy consumption and increases the available cruising range of the car in EV mode. In urban commuting in winter (outdoor temperature: < 0℃), the CLTC range can be increased by up to 50%.

IM LS6 (launched in October 2023), with its air-conditioning smart air outlet function, automatically turns off the air outlet in unoccupied positions by reading seat signals, making the air-conditioning system more efficient.

FAW-Volkswagen ID.7 VIZZION (launched in December 2023) is equipped with Smart Air, a hidden intelligent air conditioner that can memorize the height of different passengers, and set and adjust the height of the air outlet. Equipped with a climate sensor, it can automatically adjust the wind speed and air outlet angle according to the in-car environment, and automatically turn on defogging and defrosting functions according to humidity and temperature.

Future automotive air conditioning algorithms will use advanced technologies such as deep learning and neural networks to enable air conditioning systems to self-learn and optimize, more accurately predict the driver's needs, directly and actively adjust temperature, air volume and mode, minimizing manual adjustments by users and achieving more precise temperature control and energy efficiency optimization.