Thoughts on heat pumps

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RichR
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Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:53 am
Location: South end of North Yorkshire

Post by RichR »

(cross posted on the Facebook group, in response to a question there)

Something to consider on the 'should I get a heat pump' question. You probably already have a heat pump in your current car. It's designed to move heat from the cabin to the outside, and called 'air conditioning'. The optional heat pump is that, but the other way round. It pulls heat from outside the car and uses it to raise the temperature of the battery and cabin.
Heat pumps only use electricity to compress and pump a gas to move heat about, they don't turn electricity into heat. In summer using aircon will use battery power to lower the temperature of the cabin. Think of the heat pump as the opposite, in winter it uses battery power to raise the cabin temperature using the same technique.

The main thing to consider is if you regularly do journeys over half an hour or so with the heater on and set more than 5-10C above ambient temperature. That's where you'll get the most benefit from moving heat about rather than generating it by using battery power in the resistive heater unit. VW quote 30% more range on the MEB platform at -7C with the cabin at 20C for example.

If you mainly do short journeys or tend to have the cabin temperature similar to the outside temperature (eg windows open), or live where winter temperatures are rarely below freezing, then the heat pump probably isn't worth the money.

For short trips, pre-heating or cooling the car whilst it's plugged into mains electricity will always be cheaper that using the HVAC system. Similarly using heated seats and steering wheel to heat the people rather than the air is more efficient too.
Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Transport Pack, Heat Pump, ME3.2, Built Nov 2021.

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MikeJL
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Post by MikeJL »

You're quite right, the air con system is a heat pump. So why can't its outputs be reversed when heating is required? Or are Skoda (and many other manufacturers) charging ~£1,000 for a motorised flap & a bit of extra ducting?
28/8/21 Ordered IV60 Lounge, Quartz Grey Metallic. Delivery quoted 6 months!
25/6/22 Collected car!
Software : ME3.0
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Susans Dad
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Location: Northern Ireland

Post by Susans Dad »

Thanks for that info. Interesting food for thought.
Ordered 21 July 2021 - Enyaq iv 80 , Artic Silver, 21 Betria wheels, Light & view pack +, Infotainment pack +, Assisted drive pack +, Comfort seat pack +, Parking +, Climate pack +, Driving sport pack, Pan roof & now 125kW fast charge
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RichR
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Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:53 am
Location: South end of North Yorkshire

Post by RichR »

MikeJL wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:53 am You're quite right, the air con system is a heat pump. So why can't its outputs be reversed when heating is required? Or are Skoda (and many other manufacturers) charging ~£1,000 for a motorised flap & a bit of extra ducting?

Bi-directional heat pumps do indeed exist - for example the ones fitted on buildings. I think the ones Stellantis (ie Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall etc) use on their cars might be bidirectional. No idea why VAG didn't use one on the MEB platform, but I guess they figure on giving the option to not have one (which suits a lot of countries in their global marketplace), makes for a less complex installation perhaps?
Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Transport Pack, Heat Pump, ME3.2, Built Nov 2021.
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