Tellurex
Tellurex Heated and Cooled Cup Holder
Tellurex takes coffee as seriously as you do.
Our competitors, not so much.
Tellurex invented and launched the first commercial heated and cooled in-vehicle cup holders. Internet discussion threads soon began to appear to inquire if aftermarket companies could make it possible to retrofit other vehicles with this popular device.
Recently, new vehicles have been introduced with heated and cooled cup holders sourced from other companies. As these vehicles have become available, Tellurex has begun to test these rival TEG cup holders to determine whether they perform better, as well, or worse than the Tellurex product.
Here are the results so far...
HOT TEST SUMMARY
| Tellurex Cup Holder (Heating Mode) | Competitor Cup Holder (Heating Mode) |
|---|---|
| 58°C average stable temperature (Customer #1 spec) | 49.5°C average stable temperature |
| 55°C average stable temperature (Customer #2 spec) |
Venting Test: The heat exhaust from the competitor’s heated and cooled cup holders was not thoughtfully executed and noticeably discharged onto the leg of the driver. It would appear that less consideration was given to such details in this overall design and its execution within the console.
3rd Party Test: Similar test results were published by KickingTires using a non-contact temperature sensor: “The cup’s base was 107.4 degrees, and the top was 105.9 degrees. Pointing the thermometer directly at the coffee resulted in a liquid temperature of 98.7 degrees at the end, down from 126.5 degrees at the beginning.” Converting their results to Celsius, the coffee in the 2011 Chrysler 300 cup holder measured just 37°C after one hour.
By contrast, coffee in the Tellurex cup holder will remain at its specified temperature and within the preference of coffee drinkers as set by a study of 300 consumers.
“Coffee falls into the stomach... ideas begin to move...”
— Honoré de Balzac
Drinking a brew made by pouring very hot water over roasted and ground coffee beans became popular during the 15th Century. Historically, you poured hot coffee into an unheated cup followed by cream or milk and often sugar.
Stirring the mixture with a spoon produced a perfect convection: “the transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas.” The coffee in the pot had to be very hot so that the coffee in your cup wouldn’t be unpalatably cold.
Today, only one-in-five Americans abstain from coffee. In the US alone we consume more than 300 million cups per day, many of which are served commercially. The National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc., recommends that the temperature of a coffee must be maintained between 82.2°C and 85°C (180°F and 185°F, respectively) for optimal taste—noted by Burns, The Journal of International Society For Burn Injuries.
Some commercial vendors of coffee—notable fast food chains—adhered to the National Coffee Association’s best practices but later lowered serving temperatures after customers sued over alleged burn injuries.
More recently, Burns has published a study from Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Tyler that examines the trade-off of human tissue damage to both lips and laps by coffee that is too hot against the more appealing taste and aroma of that hotter coffee.
Their findings: the mean preferred serving temperate based on a study of 300 consumers is 60°C +/-8.3°C. Anything hotter is a danger to human tissue while cooler temperatures are less appealing to the human palette.
We love our coffee sitting down and on the move. In fact, the first in-car cup holder appeared in the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, although if you put that car in gear you put the cup in your lap. Serious cup holders that secure the container while in transit began to appear in the 1980s and are now part of the standard interior design content across global platforms.
To quote the University of Texas at Tyler study: “As temperature deviates progressively either higher or lower from the mean value, the fraction of consumers who are satisfied with their coffee becomes smaller.”
In other words, we don’t like cold coffee anymore than our grandparents did as they sat in their ‘57 Chevy.
Contact Sales@Tellurex.com for more information about our test results and procedures.
COLD TEST SUMMARY
| Tellurex Cup Holder (Cooling Mode) | Competitor Cup Holder (Cooling Mode) |
|---|---|
| 0.6°C average stable temperature (Customer #1 spec) | 11.5°C average stable temperature |
| -2°C average stable temperature (Customer #2 spec) |
Again, similar test results were published by KickingTires using a non-contact temperature sensor to measure the performance in a 2011 Chrysler 300: “After an hour with the cooler on and water bottle in place, the bottle’s temperature near the base was much cooler than its top: 48.2 degrees.” This figure converts to 9°C.
To make the liquid at the top of the bottle or can appealing cold, the liquid at the bottom has to be kept much colder.
“A cold drink on a hot day is my best friend.”
— Anon
Call them soft drinks or sodas, or gaseosas like the Argentineans, or refrigerantes like the Brazilians, or just pop like the Canadians...
What is the idea temperature at which to consume them?
Refrigerators are typically set between 1.6°C and 3.3°C (35°F and 38°F, respectively). So many of us consider this range the standard of “cold.”
On the other hand, no one is going to call 11.5°C (52.7°F) “a cold drink.” Lukewarm, perhaps, tepid, warmish, spiritless, or not refreshing. But not a cold drink.
Tepid is not exactly what you want to consume during your drive to work or play. And it’s absolutely not what you want to drink returning from the beach or crossing the Great Plains in July.
Now the Tellurex standard of 1.6°C and 3.3°C (35°F and 38°F, respectively) is not just a cold drink, it’s a refrigerator-cold drink.
Based on this round of testing of products that rival the original Tellurex heated and cooled cup holders, we respectfully suggest that we are still the sole source for cup holders that actually heat and cool what you place in them.
Contact Sales@Tellurex.com for more information about our test results and procedures.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
Obviously, Tellurex has a vested commercial interest in the outcome of these tests. However, the company has made a best effort to use scientific testing methods. We believe that our results may be confirmed by any independent testing center.