Webasto Exhibiting Latest Heating and Cooling Technologies at bauma 2016

Construction equipment is in use around the world and exposed to extreme weather conditions. Therefore, users’ requirements for optimal air conditioning in these machines are not only very exacting, they are also very individual, since each and every vehicle and its deployment is different. Webasto impresses its customers with its capacity as a solution partner, developing customized climate solutions to meet every requirement. At bauma 2016, the thermo specialist will emphasize its extensive expertise under the motto “Webasto – My Partner for Heating & Cooling Solutions.” The world’s leading trade fair for construction equipment will be taking place from April 11-17, 2016 in Munich.

At the start of every new development, Webasto undertakes a situation analysis, working together with the customer in that context to determine the challenges that confront the construction equipment manufacturer in terms of climate control. At its booth in hall A4, booth 343, the company will exhibit examples of solutions in which specific challenges were successfully overcome. For instance, the new Webasto Polar Cab ensures that construction machines’ cabs can be cooled even without the engine running. The climate specialist’s answer to the increasing complexity of the on-board electrical system is an innovative software solution. The latter significantly facilitates the integration of a climate-control system into the electronic architecture of the vehicle.

Engine-Off Technology

During breaks or rest periods, drivers often keep the engine idling in order to air-condition the driver’s cab. However, the idling comes at a price: Although the machine is not being used productively, it continues to burn fuel. The resulting costs are not merely those of the fuel, as this also increases engine wear, requiring more frequent servicing of the machines.

For engine-independent heating of construction equipment, Webasto has already successfully established its engine-off heating technology on the market. In cold regions, the system maintains the engine at the proper operating temperature, thus ensuring pleasantly warm temperatures in the drivers' cabs.

Drivers' cabs are often made of glass so they heat up quickly when outdoor temperatures are high. Thus, the operators keep the engine idling during breaks to cool the cabin. Given this situation, customers have called for a solution that could be utilized flexibly and efficiently for cooling their construction machinery during downtimes.

Engine-Off Technology for Hot Regions: Webasto Polar Cab

Here too, Webasto started out with a situation analysis: The latter indicated that the reasons for and the duration of the idling were very different, depending on the customer and the deployment of the equipment. That is why Webasto offers specific solutions that comply exactly with the needs and purposes of its various customers. If bridging longer downtimes with simultaneous low electric power consumption is the top priority, Webasto uses cold storage technology. The technology, which the company already utilizes in series production for trucks, involves conducting a refrigerant over graphite plates in the storage core of the system. These plates are filled with water and vacuum-sealed in a film. The cold is then withdrawn again from the graphite plates by using a refrigerant and transported to the driver’s cab via a heat exchanger. The advantage of the cold storage technology is that it requires only very little electrical energy, and the batteries can be correspondingly small. It can also be easily retrofitted. The Webasto Polar Cab that Webasto will display at the bauma 2016 offers all these benefits.

To bridge shorter downtimes, Webasto provides solutions that are purely electrically driven. These are adapted to the individual construction equipment in close coordination with the contracting customer.

New Software for Improved CAN Integration

Because construction machinery air-conditioners are increasingly more tightly integrated into the electrical system, there is often a request to enable operation and control via the central control panel, as is common in the automotive sector. So the integration of climate control systems in construction equipment becomes that much more challenging and complex. The solution is our new intelligent software. This substantially simplifies the integration into the CAN system (Controller Area Network) and optimizes the interaction between the vehicle and the climate control system.

Full-Service Provider for Heating and Cooling

As a systems provider operating on a global scale, Webasto accommodates widely diverse customer requirements. Its core competencies in the area of heating include its standardized air and water heaters. Moreover, the thermo specialist develops individual customized solutions for the areas of cooling and Engine-off. Webasto also offers these heating and cooling devices as part of complete climate-control systems that are adjusted to the exact requirements of its customers. Webasto’s systems expertise encompasses the entire course of the project: starting with the definition of customer requirements to concept development and prototype construction, followed by analyses and tests and all the way to installation at the customer site.