BMW's Uses Thermal Management Tech

Air conditioning is one of those luxuries we've learned to take for granted. Few, if any cars are sold without it anymore, and it's a vital piece of equipment if you live in a hotter climate. A cool driver is a happy driver. There's much more to it than that though, says BMW. That's why the 2012 BMW 3-Series has an advanced climate control system that both improves air quality inside the cabin, and uses thermal management to ensure whether hot or cold outside, the temperature inside remains just right. Air circulation filter Cars have had air recirculation for quite some time now. It's useful for those occasions you don't necessarily want to be dragging air from outside into the cabin--in a crowded tunnel, for example, or when driving behind a diesel truck that's pumping a cloud in your direction. BMW has improved its filtration system by using an additional filter, which cuts out unpleasant odors as well as harmful particles, ensuring you're always breathing fresh air inside the car. Thermal management On an icy winter morning, your car's interior isn't always the most pleasant place to sit. Your hands and toes get cold, and the screen and side windows do their best to ice or steam up. Likewise, on a hot day, you want that interior as cool as possible. BMW's two-zone climate control system will oblige on both counts, concentrating heat to quickly defrost the windscreen and warm your feet when it's cold, and using solar compensation--which adjusts the airflow depending on the intensity and angle of the sun--to deliver cool blasts of air to whererever is most effective on those hot and humid days. Compact, efficient A compact, central, lightweight system behind the dashboard directs air to individual vents. Because it takes up very little space inside the dash, the 3-Series is available with BMW's Head-Up Display system for the first time. The climate control also functions side-by-side with BMW's ECO PRO fuel-saving measures. To reduce energy usage, the climate control uses an optimized setting, that turns the compressor off intermittently to save energy, without compromising on the heating or cooling available. Whatever the driving conditions, BMW's new climate control system should ensure you'll always find the perfect temperature.