Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:00AM ET
Cabin climate systems face an inherent engineering trade-off: delivering rapid occupant comfort while minimizing vehicle energy consumption, a critical factor for electric vehicle range and thermal system sizing. Traditional air-temperature-based controllers rely on bulk cabin setpoints that often lag behind human physiological thermal response, leading to over-conditioning and unnecessary energy expenditure.
In this technical webinar, we present a comparative simulation study evaluating a vehicle sensation-based HVAC controller against a conventional air-temperature-based controller.
Using a co-simulation framework coupling TAITherm for high-resolution 3D cabin thermal and human physiological modeling with GT-SUITE (Gamma Technologies) for vehicle thermal management and HVAC refrigerant loops, we quantify system efficiency and occupant perception. Internal convection is captured using RapidFlow to deliver fast, high-fidelity airflow and heat transfer predictions without traditional CFD overhead. Furthermore, we evaluate how integrating local comfort devices such as heated seats and steering wheels can reduce thermal inertia and optimize overall power draw.
Key Takeaways
- Dynamic Perception vs. Fixed Setpoints: How closed-loop sensation modeling predicts perceived thermal comfort faster and prevents unnecessary energy waste by overregulating the cabin air temperature.
- Co-Simulation Architecture: Implementing a coupled workflow between GT-SUITE, TAITherm, and RapidFlow for transient 1D/3D thermal control analysis.
- Energy Consumption Metrics: Quantifying energy reduction achieved by moving from bulk cabin heating to targeted, sensation-driven climate control.
- Local Comfort Device Synergies: The quantitative impact of heated surfaces (seats, steering wheels) on lowering HVAC system load and shortening time to neutral sensation.
Who Should Attend
- Thermal Management & HVAC Systems Engineers
- Vehicle Cabin Comfort & Ergonomics Specialists
- 1D/3D Simulation & CAE Engineers (GT-SUITE, TAITherm, CFD users)
- EV Energy Optimization & Range Extension Teams
Presenters
Sacha Jelic
Key Account Manager
