What was the first car to have air conditioning

Photo: Kaboompics

Today, few people would consider buying a car that’s not equipped with air conditioning. It’s seen as a necessity, not a luxury. That wasn’t always the case, though. The first car with factory A/C wasn’t produced until 1939.

In the early days of autos, A/C wasn’t an option. In 1930, a Texas man had a Kelvinator system custom-built for his car. Other companies also experimented with aftermarket A/C systems, but these tended to be heavy, noisy, and inefficient, and none became widespread.

Throughout the 1930s, automakers experimented with a variety of systems. In one example of this, General Motors head researcher Charles Kettering loaded blocks of ice in the back of his Cadillac Town Car to measure the energy required to cool a vehicle.

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Researchers had several obstacles to overcome. They needed to create systems that were small and simple enough to fit inside a car, and they needed to find a non-toxic, non-flammable refrigerant.

GM eventually developed a Freon-based cooling system that worked well, but it was Packard that took the honor of producing the first cars with factory A/C in 1939: the 1940 Senior 160 and 180.

Cadillac and Chrysler followed suit in 1941 with similar A/C systems. But these setups were primitive and expensive, and they didn’t really catch on. From this point until the 1950s, most of the industry’s A/C progress would come from aftermarket systems.

By the 1950s, automakers began to catch up. Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, it could be found in more than 70 percent of new cars.

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Air conditioning comes standard in almost every car sold throughout the world today. In the earlier days of motoring, vehicles were primarily open-bodied so manufacturers believed no special provisions were required. Come to the turn of the century and the gradual change to closed-body vehicles around 1908, inventors started to look at the best way to develop a comfort cooling system. Even with a need for this product, the first practical automotive air-conditioning system wasn’t developed until 1939 by Packard.

1939 – Packard Invents The Coolest Ride In Town

In 1939, Packard became the first automobile manufacturer to have an air conditioning unit installed in its cars as an optional extra. Known as the “weather conditioner”, customers were able to order the conversion which was completed by a company known as Bishop and Babcock Co. Although this product was marketed well, it was not commercially successful and was discontinued after 1941. This was due to the many mechanical problems it faced and constant servicing it required. Diagnosis & repair of car air conditioning by trusted professionals such as Autospark is much more detailed and efficient in today’s age.

1940’s – Aftermarket Air Conditioning Becomes Big Business

By 1947, following World War II, independent manufacturers began installing aftermarket air conditioning units in all makes of cars. Although these often came with a large price tag, cheaper cooling options such as the car cooler (also known as the swamp cooler) became quite popular, especially in areas with low humidity. These products were powered through the car’s cigarette lighter and operated with water or ice and a fan.

1950’s – Air Conditioning Gains Popularity

The 1950’s sprouted the beginning of several manufacturers offering air conditioning as an option in their automobiles. In 1953, General Motors automobiles began installing air conditioning systems manufactured by Frigidaire in virtually all of their car models. Come 1954, both Pontiac and Nash became the first two companies to fit their air conditioning units in the front of the car, rather than the back.

The system developed by Nash, known as “All-Weather Eye” combined both a heater and air conditioner into one in-dash system. This set the standard that most manufacturers have still followed until this day. By the mid-1950, seven more carmakers listed air conditioning in their automobiles as an option.

1960’s – Number Of Air Conditioners Installed Tripling

Between 1961 – 1964, the number of air conditioners installed in cars tripled due to its skyrocketing popularity. 1964 also introduced Cadillacs comfort control system. For the first time, drivers could input their preferred temperature and the system would automatically adjust to keep the interior of the car a set temperature.

1970’s – Environmental Impact Becomes Big Talking Point

The 1970’s sparked the debate of the environmental impact of air conditioning. The debate was focussed around the particular compound used in automobile air conditioners. Although this threatened the automobile industry, the efficiency and design of car air conditioning units continued to be improved.

1980’s – Air Conditioning Materials Change

Facing an impending ban on R12, the controversial refrigerant believed to have a horrible effect on the ozone layer, carmakers developed future air conditioning units with R134a refrigerant. This continued to drive innovation and technological advancements.

1990’s – Laws Cause Change, Popularity Continues To Grow

The ban on R12 sparked the shift of all future automobile air conditioning systems to use R134a refrigerant. Luckily most car manufacturers already adopted this change many years before the ban allowing them to continue advancing their products.

Air Conditioning Today

The debate over the environmental impact of all air conditioning units is still very much alive. Although there have been discussions of potential new refrigerants that could be used in the future, the past two decades has stayed mostly the same. However, the continued advancements and research keep the future of automobile air conditioning bright.

A car without an air conditioning system? Simply unimaginable for people these days. It comes as a standard in almost all vehicles manufactured across the world today. But this was not the case during the earlier days of automobile manufacturing. When did cars get air conditioning? Do you want to know about the first cars with air conditioning?

When Was Air Conditioning Invented for Cars?

Automakers started manufacturing motor vehicles for commercial purposes from the end of the 19th century. But those vehicles were open bodied, so the makers did not think of adding anything for air circulation. Close-bodied vehicles made their debut around 1908. Since then, inventors began their quest for developing a functional cooling system for automobiles.

However, consumers had to wait until 1939 when the luxury New York manufacturer Packard developed the first functioning and practical AC system for motor vehicles.

Packard made the first air conditioned car although it was an optional extra. Had any customer wanted it, a third party company named Bishop and Babcock Co. installed the system into the car.

Unfortunately, Packard’s ‘weather conditioner’ failed to gain commercial success due to its high price tag. Also, the machine has mechanical issues and needed frequent servicing. The company discontinued it in 1941.

You now know about the first car with AC, but when was air conditioning put in cars at a mass level?

Aftermarket AC system became highly popular after World War II. Many independent manufacturers took this job of fitting aftermarket air cons into all makes of vehicles. These units were still pricey but there was a cheaper option known as a car cooler.

Car air conditioning systems have gained even more popularity in the next decade. Several big automakers, including General Motors, stepped up to take the business away from independent manufacturers. They offered it as an extra option.

However, GM made the air con as a standard feature in almost all of their models in 1953, and Nash and Pontiac followed the trend the next year. Several other manufacturers followed the suit in the next few years.

Sales of car AC units highly increased in the 60s. Cadillac really changed the game by bringing an AC control system for the first time in 1964. The setting allowed changing the car temperature to a preferred temperature.

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A Setback in the 70s

With technological advancements, people had also been becoming aware of their hostile effects on the environment. The adversarial impact of air conditioning became a big talking point in the 70s.

It brought down air con’s popularity a bit, and many consumers chose not to have it in their car. People growing in the 70s may still remember the sticky feeling of vinyl seats in hot summer days.

A scientific study showed that CFCs (used in air conditioning units) are harmful to the protective ozone layer. The debate around this discovery was threatening to the automobile industry. Fortunately, the automakers were more flexible, and they were willing to accept an alternative rather be adamant about using CFCs.

Carmakers developed R134a, a more environment-friendly substitute for the R12. The older refrigerant is highly detrimental to the ozone layer and the environment in general. When R12 was banned in 1996, the automobile industry was not much affected because it already had an alternative.

With the alternative refrigerant and continuous technological and design improvements, the automobile industry never had to face a massive setback. The car sales rate has been steady for many years, and almost all of them have air conditioning pre-installed.

The debate over the harmful effects of air conditioning refrigerant is still alive. Many people are cautious about the use of motor vehicles because of the pollutants they release to the environment. The invention of electric cars and several other measures for reducing pollution are responses to address those concerns. However, the future of air-conditioned automobiles is still bright.

The Bottom Line

So, now you know about the first cars with air conditioning and a brief history of the cooling system in automobiles.

It seems that it took more than 40 years for the air con to be a common feature since the Packard AC system. It became standard in American vehicles through the 60s, but Europe was a bit slow to catch on.

An air conditioning system was more like a feature for luxury and premium cars in Europe, even during the early millennium years.

Fun Fact: Less than one-third of European cars had air conditioning as a standard in the early 2000s.

However, the European scenario has changed in the last decade. Currently, all cars, except for the ones at the low-budget spectrum, have the system pre-installed as a standard feature.