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The grandfather of Prius air conditioning technology. Air conditioning on a Prius and all other Hybrid and 100% electric car is still a vary simple basic cooling only system, it is still in it's infancy stage. As was the old model T Ford in my grandfathers day when he was a boy. In this photo I am installing a Panasonic ECOi Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF), Multi-Zone, Heat Pump & Heat Recovery System. In the future this is what will be in your Prius and some of it is all ready in the prius. #1. The Variable three phase 201 volt a/c compressor is just one of the parts used in a Prius. #2. Panisonic first inverter air conditioning for sale was back in 1983 ( it's been around awhile, just not in the USA! ) #3. In 1985 scroll compressors were developed that is used in a Prius today. It offers high efficiency, low noise,and low vibration #4. I won't even talk about the CO2 air conditioning and refrigeration systems used around the world because they are more energy efficient ( contrary to what our US government and USA Corporations tell us in our FREE! Capitalist system!?.) Back to the VRF HP (Heat Pump) system that in the future will be in most every car. A French Company already has a working prototype on test cars and a a Japanese company (DENSO) have been working on it for years now. The good old USA has NOTHING, big fat 0!. When you have a all electric car or even a hybrid the turns off the engine and runs on batteries, the car manufactures will need ( VRF HP ) to use less power , increases mileage and be small and light weight. This Heat Recovery system I am installing in this photo above can heat water or (coolant for a car) or cool water or coolant. It can be used to in a house to heat the hot water at the same time it is using energy to cool another part of the house. This system is also used to hear the floors of a house for radiant, something new to the USA but has been used around the world before I was born. This is what will be used in cars sooner then you think to cool the battery's in electric and hybrid cars and the passengers of that car. Remember electric cars do not have a gas burning engine to produce hot coolant to heat the passenger compartment through the use of a heater core for heat transfer. All this technology has been developed by the Japanese and perfected, by Daikin, Panasonic, Mitsubishi,Toshiba,Hitachi just to name a few. They hold the patent licensing not any USA Co. The hybrid and electric car of now and the near future, are and will put many old mechanic shops out of business. I have already been seening the decline in some shops. If the shops think it is expensive and time consuming for training and tools now, wait until you see whats coming. Lead, follow or get out of the way. There is no room for dinosaurs in the automotive technology field any more!!!. The air conditioning of your Prius and any other hybrid or electric car is tied into the battery ,charging, power train, and inverter system more and more every year of car production. Misdiagnosis is a vary big problem in the automotive industry it just not going to get easier and the customer will pay the price for what the Shop owner dose not send their TECHs for training. Do you think on this $60,000+ installation if I make a mistake I can just call up the parts house and say " you sent me a defective compressor, it burnt up send me another one!?.) BUT THIS IS WHAT GOES ON A DAILY BASIS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS... I'm glad to be working with a few good shops in the San Francisco area that strive to be the best at what they do and are leaders in our field.