Tellurex Z-Max vs. the Competition:
Automotive Cup Holder Beverage Cooling Benchmarking Tests

Tellurex Corporation has designed and developed a Thermoelectric Cup Holder Module (TCM). The product is a "creature comfort" device that cools or heats beverages and is engineered to be integral to the interior of an automobile. The Tellurex TCM has competitors with similar products that claim greater performance, particularly in the cooling mode. Side-by-side tests were performed on the current Tellurex Thermoelectric Cup Holder Module and a competitor's unit, hereafter, Brand X. These tests are easily emulated by any competent test house.

Objective: Benchmark thermoelectric cup holder devices and develop an objective test to measure the true performance of all thermoelectric cup holder devices.

Parts Tested:
Tellurex Thermoelectric Cup Holder Modules: Single cup holder unit with heat sink fan combination. The cooled cup holder area is made entirely of hard coat anodized aluminum, and surrounded by insulation. The thermoelectric cup holder is designed to accommodate common beverage containers.
Brand X Cup Holder: Dual cup holder unit sharing a single heat sink and a single fan. The cup holder area is made of plastic with a clear anodized aluminum surface utilized to cool a beverage. A spring loaded lever device forces the beverage container to contact the cooled surface.



The Competitor’s story:
The Tellurex cup holder does not cool as effectively. When the performance curve is measured in seconds, the story appears true. At 190 seconds after start (3 minutes), Tellurex TCM is at 10°C (18°F) below ambient and the Brand X cup holder is at 12°C (22°F) below ambient.

Now let’s look at the very same data taken out farther in time:

Using the same test data and showing the monitored data for a longer time period demonstrates the ultimate performance of each device. The Tellurex thermoelectric cup holder continues to cool down much farther than the fast starting competitor. The intersection of the two lines occurs (where the Tellurex TCM pulls away in cooling performance) after 7 minutes of testing. In all likelihood, the competitor has designed the verification testing such that no monitoring is done past the 5 minute mark for this very reason. The lowest temperature reached by the Tellurex thermoelectric cup holder is -2.4°C (27.6°F). Brand X’s lowest temperature is 4.4°C (39.9°F). As tested, the Tellurex unit is 6.8°C or 12.3°F colder; it's the difference between cool and cold.

Test 2: Actual Use Conditions
The next graph will illustrate an actual use condition showing how that performance translates when each unit is used to hold a beverage:

In this graph, two cooled 12 ounce cans containing tap water were place in pre-cooled cup holders. The Tellurex cup holder actively cooled the beverage. Meanwhile, the beverage in the competitor cup holder began to warm. Not all aluminum containers are equal, and not all beverages are served in aluminum containers. To eliminate the variable of the container’s heat transfer capability and to more clearly illustrate the actual heat pumping capabilities of a thermoelectric cup holder system, the following test was performed:
1. 200 grams of water were placed directly in the cup holder. In a cup holder that was not water
tight, the leaks were carefully sealed with a caulk compound.
2. The temperature at the center of the water was monitored.
3. The heat sink temperature was monitored.
4. Each unit was powered at 13.5 VDC (a common application operating voltage)

Each device, having the same mass of fluid in full contact with its entire cooling surface, presents a fair and equal challenge to the thermoelectric system.

The superior thermoelectric device and superior design of the entire thermoelectric system utilized by Tellurex outperforms Brand X. The perception of a “creature comfort” feature must be that the feature works well. The fact that the Tellurex device can achieve a great enough “delta T” to produce frost on the cup holder in a vehicle with an interior of 22°C (72°F) and the demonstrated fact that a beverage will be colder after being placed in the cup holder will not disappoint the user. On the other hand, the Brand X cup holder warms the beverage when it should be cooling it.

1. The Tellurex thermoelectric cup holder can be called a cup-cooler, and will delight customers.
2. Brand X does not appear to work.

The purpose of this test was to “benchmark thermoelectric cup holder devices and develop an objective and repeatable test to measure the true performance of all thermoelectric cup holder devices." That objective was met. The additional information presented here is an understanding of “acceleration versus top-end speed” in a cup holder application. The competitor’s approach does provide a quicker response off of the line, but the race is won by the Tellurex approach of high end performance.

Respectfully submitted,
Richard Harmon
Engineering Manager, Tellurex Corporation
4/11/2006