Van said:
Doesn’t seem like there’s a huge difference. I thought using heat could degrade the battery over time?
Extreme temperatures can degrade the battery over time, but warming it up when it’s cold is necessary to keep it in good shape. The heat pump does this more efficiently by moving heat from the air rather than just creating it.
@Teo
Got it, thanks for explaining!
To really compare the heat pump’s effect, you’d need two trucks side by side on the same road in the same weather. The heat pump should perform better in theory, but because our trucks are big and not very aerodynamic, the improvement may not be huge. In winter, the air is denser, so it takes more energy to drive, and the gains from the heat pump could be minimized.
For reference, trucks with resistive heating usually get around 2.0 km/kWh in winter.
@Rowan
I always thought cold air was less dense than warm air. You learn something new every day!
Asher said:
@Rowan
I always thought cold air was less dense than warm air. You learn something new every day!
Cold air is denser than warm air. Think about how hot air balloons work—they float because the warm air inside is lighter than the cooler air outside.
Heat pump? It depends on your climate.
My 2023 XLT uses about 4kW to run the heat at full blast. I haven’t tested how much it consumes over several hours, but I might try it soon. Anyone have data for the 2024?
I’ve been driving an EV without a heat pump in Canada since 2018. It would be nice to have one, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I ended up getting a 2023 Lightning because the deal was just too good to pass up.