In 1998, Glacier Bay completed development and testing of a high-performance “Environmental Control System”, or ECS, for electric and hybrid electric vehicles.  This development project was jointly funded by Glacier Bay, Inc. and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the project management of Calstart.

The purpose of the project was to incorporate Glacier Bay's high-efficiency DC cooling and gas-fueled heating technologies in a single, high-performance climate control system.   Specific goals included a dramatic reduction in energy consumption, reduction in weight, reduced emissions (heater) and superior low-temperature operation when compared to currently available systems.

The chart below provides a comparison of the relative efficiencies of various air conditioing systems operating under extreme (110°F) ambient conditions.





























For additional information on the Glacier Bay/DARPA ECS development project and system performance see:



For additional information on how you can put Glacier Bay's mobile climate control technologies to work for you, see our Mobile Climate Control Systems page or contact Glacier Bay directly.





Technical Library

























Glacier Bay / DARPA Environmental Control System (ECS) for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles