{"id":2791,"date":"2021-02-03T11:36:06","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T11:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1337303"},"modified":"2021-02-03T11:36:06","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T11:36:06","slug":"whats-a-heat-pump-and-why-do-evs-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=2791","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s a heat pump and why do EVs use them?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to SHIFT Basics, a collection of tips, explainers, guides, and advice to keep you up to speed with mobility tech.<\/em><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been hailed as a money saver<\/a>, an essential feature<\/a> for EVs, and in some cases: a game changer<\/a>. What am I talking about? Heat pumps of course!<\/p>\n

The idea is that heat pumps prevent excess heat created by an EV\u2019s battery and drivetrain from going to waste. They absorb the excess heat generated by <\/span>EV<\/span>\u2018s battery and drivetrain to improve the <\/span>car<\/span>\u2018s efficiency, range, and driving experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name sounds simple enough, but what exactly do they do? And why are they important for electric vehicles? Let\u2019s dive in and answer some of those questions.<\/p>\n

What is it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Put simply, a heat pump is a device used to move heat around an electric vehicle. Similar concepts are used in combustion engine cars, but we don\u2019t care about those right now.<\/p>\n

Reversible heat pumps can also generate heat, and then move that around an EV as it\u2019s needed, but we\u2019ll get on to that later.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go deeper<\/h2>\n

But why do we need to move heat around? Well, to be honest, we don\u2019t. We could simply cool the battery and motors, and dump that heat back into the atmosphere using radiators. But that\u2019s kind of wasteful, and that\u2019s not at all in the spirit of electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

One core function that heat pumps perform, is to take heat away from the hot parts of the car that would otherwise be wasted, and direct it to the passenger cabin. This means that the EV doesn\u2019t need to use its battery to power a resistive heater, to keep passengers comfortable.<\/p>\n

\"Tesla,
Credit: D\u00c6rik – YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>The Tesla Model Y heat pump as demonstrated by Andy Slye of D\u00c6rik YouTube channel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Less use of the main battery means improved range and improved efficiency. See how this is working? It\u2019s really simple. This is all fine when temperatures outside the vehicle are just cool, but what about when it\u2019s much much <\/em>colder?<\/p>\n

[Read: How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV? It\u2019s not as much as you think<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

What about when it\u2019s freezing?<\/h2>\n

Reversible heat pumps also have the ability to generate heat, which can be incredibly useful when ambient temperatures outside the vehicle are below freezing.<\/p>\n

The downside of electronics, like batteries, motors, and computer chips, is they perform best in a very narrow temperature window. As cold<\/a> climate EV drivers know, an ice-cold battery is very inefficient and can have a detrimental impact on range. Here\u2019s where reversible heat pumps come in.<\/p>\n

As mentioned, reversible heat pumps can also generate heat. They do this by compressing the refrigerant that flows through the cooling system \u2014 under compression, refrigerants get hot.<\/p>\n

That heat can then be moved around the car\u2019s cooling and heating system to put heat where it\u2019s needed, for example in the battery.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s actually more efficient to use warm the battery before setting off on your journey, instead of waiting for it to warm itself through use. What\u2019s more, as most EVs can \u201cprecondition\u201d before unplugging from their charger, you can leave with a warm battery, full of power, that won\u2019t be adversely impacted by the cold weather.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re keen to go into even more detail on how heat exchangers and pumps work, watch this video from Jason Fenske at Engineering Explained over on YouTube.<\/p>\n