Design and optimization of a thermoelectric cooling and heating system for a cup holder between dash board and center armrest of a passenger vehicle.
Their final design was capable of cooling the beverage down to 2°C. More than 40% of the cooling capacity of the thermoelectric module was used to cool the beverage. At the same time the power consumption was reduced by approximately 25%. The design changes were made in the insulation geometry and properties, heat sink profile, air ducts and selection of a lower current thermoelectric module.
The final design achieved the best performance among several competing suppliers in an 
automotive contest. The methodology of analyzing heat flows and energy balance was key in determining the base concept and components. Since start of production in 2008 many ten thousands of thermo cup holders have been installed.
A successful example of this is the thermal cup-holder, a high-tech product in the Audi Q5.
