Is there any new type of air conditioning planned? or will the a/c run via a rotoary compressor that's driven by the gasoline engine?

What about heat? Can the interior be heated from the batteries or must the gasoline engine be running?

I only ask because about 85% of my driving around here usually involves either heat or a/c.

Is there any new type of air conditioning planned? or will the a/c run via a rotoary compressor that's driven by the gasoline engine?

What about heat? Can the interior be heated from the batteries or must the gasoline engine be running?

I only ask because about 85% of my driving around here usually involves either heat or a/c.

Low power efficant electric heat and a/c system like a hair dryer only bigger. The coil you reverse the polarity it gets cold and so it cools the cabin that's how I under stand what I read. Any ways It's on the 2007 auto detroit auto show page it's still up you can search Chevy Volt Heat and A/C lots of cool stuff comes up

A heat pump can reverse and put heat or cold into the air inside the car. That would be the most efficient system.

A Peltier thermoelectric sounds nice in theory, but the efficiency is so bad it would take the entire output of the battery pack to run the a/c for about an hour.

Likely a heat pump.

A co2 heat pump may be a consideration. It is efficient and environmentally safer than HFC134a commonly in use now.

Here's some info on co2 heat pump:
http://www.globaldenso.com/MOTORSHOW/2002/paris/DENSO/ENGLISH/AIR/INDEX.HTM