{"id":334,"date":"2026-01-08T09:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/?p=334"},"modified":"2026-01-21T03:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:05:04","slug":"history-of-automotive-air-conditioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chilling History of Automotive Air Conditioning"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"334\" class=\"elementor elementor-334\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-983f8f6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"983f8f6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-da38c92\" data-id=\"da38c92\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf77514 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"cf77514\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 26-06-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning-1024x640.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-343\" alt=\"history of automotive air conditioning\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning-1024x640.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning-300x188.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning-768x480.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-faf5d93 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"faf5d93\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 26-06-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Once considered a luxury add-on, automotive air conditioning has come a long way in becoming a mainstay feature in vehicles today. However, the evolution of the auto automotive air conditioning system has been a long road. It had to endure world war II, technical challenges, and environmental concerns to get to where it is today.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7119dd4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7119dd4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Did you know:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While air conditioners were invented in 1902, they took 37 years (1939) to make it into the first car and another 25 years (1964) to become a fine-tuned factory feature!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fac2843 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fac2843\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Today we will explore the invention of automobile AC units, when they originated, who invented them, and what car model was among the first to implement them into their design. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-737441e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"737441e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.14.0 - 26-06-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Tl;dr: <\/b>Here's the timeline for the evolution of automotive Air Conditioning: <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40cd44d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"40cd44d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1935<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Ralph Peo applied for the first Automobile air conditioning patent, which was granted in 1938.<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1939<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Packard Motor Car Co. was the first automaker to offer car air conditioning units as a luxury option. The bulky system was placed in the trunk rather dash of the car and costed $275 (about $5,830 in today&#8217;s money), a pretty penny back then and even today!<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1954:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pontiac becomes the first car with front-mounted air conditioning units under the hood. ACs in the trunk were common until this point.<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1954<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Nash Ambassador was the first vehicle with a fully integrated front-end heating, cooling and ventilation system, setting a standard that is even followed today. The company called the system &#8220;All-Weather Eye&#8221;.<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1964<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: The Cadillac introduced the &#8216;Comfort Control&#8217;, which allowed one to set the preferred temperature with a dial (similar to Auto climate control). It was one of the major breakthroughs, paving the way for modern automotive air conditioners.<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1969<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: More than half of the cars (54%) sold in America had air conditioners.<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1973:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">70% of the cars sold in America came fitted with AC.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1987<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">: Following Montreal protocol, Automakers were asked to phase out R-12 refrigerant and use R-134A gradually. Today automakers are switching to R-1234yf as it&#8217;s more eco-friendly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Today:<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a099% of the cars sold today have air conditioning systems.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ce7c4d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7ce7c4d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>Packard Motor Car Co. was the first car company to offer air conditioning in its cars in 1939<\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e44e918 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e44e918\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The first automobile air conditioning system patent was granted to Ralph Peo in 1938, but it wasn&#8217;t a production-ready design. The invention of automotive air conditioning is largely attributed to Packard Motor Car Co., an American luxury car company.<\/p><p>On Nov 4, 1939, the Packard introduced the Packard 1940 model, the first car with a factory-installed air conditioning\/heating system. The air conditioning unit was manufactured and installed by Bishop and Babcock (B&amp;B) in Ohio.<\/p><p>On March 17, 1940, the first air-conditioned taxi, a Packard 1940 model, was driven in New York.<\/p><p>From 1939 to 1942, the company sold just 1500 AC-equipped cars. However, in 1942, Packard discontinued the option as it wasn&#8217;t commercially viable, partly due to World War II efforts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11e6001 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"11e6001\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"564\" height=\"821\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/packard-1940-model-air-conditioning.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-339\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/packard-1940-model-air-conditioning.jpeg 564w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/packard-1940-model-air-conditioning-206x300.jpeg 206w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca79230 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ca79230\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Early Problems\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69623c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"69623c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Packard air conditioner was bulky, expensive, and had few reliability concerns. The refrigerant coils were placed in the trunk, which took up half the space; there was no way to regulate the temperate and worse, to stop the AC, one needed to remove the belt connected to the compressor. Further, the AC add-on was priced at $275 (roughly $5,830 in today&#8217;s money), which was quite steep for the time.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1c850c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b1c850c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>The 1950s saw aftermarket auto Air Conditioners become a big business<\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ea4d04a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ea4d04a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>After the end of World War II, many independent companies began manufacturing and installing aftermarket air conditioners in cars. The Frigikar system was the most common aftermarket unit. By 1953, around 30,000 cars had these aftermarket AC units.<\/p><p>Sensing the pent-up demand for air conditioners, the battle between Automakers ensued to come up with an AC unit that was efficient, cheaper, and more reliable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f59678f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f59678f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Closer to Perfection \n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64de6c9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64de6c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In 1954, Pontiac became the first car with all the AC equipment housed under the car&#8217;s hood. Until this point, the AC units were placed in trunks. The system was developed Harrison radiator division of GM motors.<\/p><p>The same year, Nash Ambassador took the game a notch higher as it came with the first fully integrated heating, cooling and ventilation system. Before this, automakers used separate chilling and heating units.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-974e2a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"974e2a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Pontiac-first-car-to-be-air-conditioned.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-336\" alt=\"Pontiac first car to be air conditioned\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Pontiac-first-car-to-be-air-conditioned.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Pontiac-first-car-to-be-air-conditioned-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Pontiac-first-car-to-be-air-conditioned-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Source: https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/juneny\/5917732593\/in\/photostream\/<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09471f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"09471f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The final piece of the puzzle: Automatic Climate Control<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e0fd50a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e0fd50a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The major breakthrough came in 1964 when General Motors introduced &#8216;Comfort Control&#8217; in the Cadillac. The system maintained the set temperate in all climate and engine operating conditions, similar to today&#8217;s auto climate control.<\/span><\/p><p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In 1967, GM&#8217;s Frigidaire Division developed the &#8216;air-mix&#8217; system, which increased the air conditioner&#8217;s efficiency and made it more affordable.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec6d41c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ec6d41c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-1024x653.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-337\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-1024x653.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-300x191.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-768x490.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-1536x979.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/1954-Cadillac-climate-control-2048x1306.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e46526 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9e46526\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>The early 1970s was when air conditioning became common in cars.<\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e89014 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e89014\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Owing to the technological enhancement and volume of scale manufacturing, in the early 1970s, air conditioning systems became affordable, becoming a common feature in cars.<\/p><p>By 1965, about <b>25% of the cars<\/b> sold in America had air conditioning. The number rose to<b> 54% in 1969,<\/b> and by <b>1973, it was close to 70%<\/b>. Today, 99% of the cars sold have an air-conditioning system.<\/p><p><b>Turning point:<\/b> In 1968, AMC Ambassador became the first car to come with air conditioning as a standard feature. Until this point, air-conditioning was only available as an option and it changed the AC-game forever.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da6d01a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"da6d01a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The 1980s: The Environmental Impact becomes apparent\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e44869d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e44869d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Due to the chlorine content, the R-12 refrigerant used in the car AC was found to have a damaging effect on the ozone layer. The rising environmental concerns led to the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which requested manufacturers and automakers to phase out R-12 refrigerants gradually.<\/p><p><b>By 1994, automakers switched to R-134a<\/b>, a more environment-friendly refrigerant. However, in the early 2000&#8217;s it was found that the R-134a had a very high global warming potential (GWP). The GWP number of R-134a is 1430, which is astronomically high and for this reason, it&#8217;s also getting phased out.<\/p><p>In the present day, automakers are switching to R-1234yf, which has a GWP of just 4. A very small number compared to the R-134a refrigerant.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9874265 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9874265\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b>The Takeaway<\/b><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-79397b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"79397b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Thanks to Air conditioning, we now experience the road differently. So whenever you turn on the AC in your car on hot summer afternoons, don&#8217;t forget to be grateful to the engineers and automakers who have made this possible.<\/p><p>It is indeed incredible to look back and see how far the air conditioning system has come in automobiles, from being a bulky aftermarket accessory selling to now being standard in 99% of the cars sold today.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b920da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0b920da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sources:<\/p><ul><li>https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/mvac\/refrigerant-transition-environmental-impacts<\/li><li>https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/44553839<\/li><li>\u00a0https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US2237497A\/en<\/li><li>\u00a0https:\/\/www.hagerty.com\/media\/maintenance-and-tech\/air-conditioning\/<\/li><li>https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/clip\/18028025\/1954-pontiac-with-ac-first-year\/<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once considered a luxury add-on, automotive air conditioning has come a long way in becoming a mainstay feature in vehicles today. However, the evolution of the auto automotive air conditioning system has been a long road. It had to endure world war II, technical challenges, and environmental concerns to get to where it is today. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Chilling History of Automotive Air Conditioning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article explores the fascinating history of automotive air conditioning, from its invention in 1939 to how it evolved into the modern convenience we know and enjoy today.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lookupaplate.com\/blog\/history-of-automotive-air-conditioning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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