Hypercar Air Conditioning
MOTOR Magazine Australia|October 2020
Flawless air conditioning is one of the most important aspects of any car, but a 400km/h-plus top speed does tend to complicate matters
Scott Newman
Hypercar Air Conditioning

DR JULIA LEMKE HAS a very cool job. Her official title is the overall technical coordinator for the air conditioning systems in the Bugatti Chiron and its associated variants and we promise there will be no more puns in this article. You might think that designing an air conditioning system is a breeze (okay, sorry, that’s the last one, promise) but the task becomes somewhat more complex when the car involved is capable of well over 400km/h.

Lemke was a qualified historical archivist before going on to study energy and process engineering, writing her doctoral dissertation on “Energy assessment of car air conditions systems with secondary circuits”. This knowledge made Lemke the perfect candidate for solving the problem of keeping one of the world’s fastest cars cool.

Most vehicles draw air into the interior from the base of the windscreen, but in a Bugatti this area switches to negative pressure at 250km/h, meaning air would be sucked out rather than drawn in. To overcome this, a ram air flap and “optimised blower” ensures air continues to be forced into the interior.

The Chiron’s top speed potential creates further issues. Its aerodynamic needs demand a steeply raked windscreen – 21.5 degrees rather than around 30 degrees in a conventional car – which substantially increases the surface area from 0.7m-squared to 1.31m-squared. In turn, this heats up the interior more quickly thanks to the greater solar load, a problem only exacerbated by Bugatti’s Sky View glass roof option.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
Ged Bulmer
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Ged Bulmer

THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
Dylan Campbell
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Dylan Campbell

WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
HONDA NSX
MOTOR Magazine Australia

HONDA NSX

Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2022
TESLA MODEL S
MOTOR Magazine Australia

TESLA MODEL S

Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
PORSCHE 959
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PORSCHE 959

Weissach rethinks the supercar

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022

HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2022
THE UNDEFEATED
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THE UNDEFEATED

HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2022
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
MOTOR Magazine Australia

OPEN WIDE, SAY R

VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED

time-read
10+ mins  |
June 2022
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
MOTOR Magazine Australia

SING FOR YOUR DINNER

As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2022