Ford's new EVs get efficiency boost from new heat pump technology

for's very quietly released the new 2024 F150 Lightning Electric pickup trucks with a big change it's not really talking about it but it will increase

the range of the pickup truck it's called a heat pump a lot of people think that electric cars are already so incredibly efficient that there's not

much more to do there's not much more to gain in terms of efficiency but there most certainly is there's a whole lot of new improvements much more efficient

electric motors there's aerodynamic efficiency there is also the ability to drastically improve heat pumps you might be thinking heang minute heat pumps that

brand new technology but actually well these new heat pumps are significantly better than the previous generation here's why hello my friends

welcome to the channel I'm Sam Evans you're watching the electric Viking it's great to see you guys EVS are about efficiency Boost from new heat pump

technology engineers are improving Eva efficiency by Scavenging more heat from EV components and feeding it to the heat pump so recently we've learned that Tesla are upgrading their software and

their cars to enable the regen breaking to improve efficiency regen braking will work a bit differently at higher speeds which should enable your car to recoup

more energy but there is also other ways that that could be done done in electric vehicles how every electron is used matters that's especially important in

heavy aerodynamically challenged pickups and SUVs one of those examples is the very Brick likee Ford F-150 Lightning the version that just went on sale won't

look much different from the 2023 model but Engineers made a big change that will enable the vehicle to use electricity more efficiently especially

in cold weather now the Ford F-150 Lightning for the 2024 year it is cheaper than the 2023 year but it also has some changes that Ford has just kind

of made without saying much about them the lightning has a heat pump system developed with supplier Denso Deno is actually one of Toyota's biggest suppliers but don't write them off just

because of that they actually reduce energy consumption with these new heat pumps previous F-150 lightnings have resistive heaters which use electricity

to produce heat like the coils in a toaster the system uses a lot of electricity so no many people realize this the F-150 Lightning didn't have a

heat pump Ford would not say how much the switch to using a heat pump will extend the 2024 Lightnings range in cold weather but acknowledged the move will

improve efficiency the vehicle's EPA range estimate is unchanged from 2023 in online forums and videos Ford Lightning

owners have complained that the pickup loses 20 to 30% of its range in very cold temperatures this will definitely decrease those losses although most

efforts to increase eveve range and efficiency involve just slapping in a bigger battery that's what General Motors have done with the Silverado a massive battery pack improving chemistry

or possibly doing things like um improving Electronics reducing curb weight improving aerodynamics heat pumps play a major role though in E efficiency

as the temperature drops in particular if you live in a warm climate it's not going to make a huge difference will a little bit but not a huge difference live in a cold climate the difference is

quite big the heat pump enables all the other systems to do their jobs better said Rob cardo a director in denso's green technology engineering group heat

pumps of course aren't new they have heated and cooled buildings for more than a 100 years basically just beginning for the automotive industry I mean Tesla have had them for a few years

now most car manufacturers haven't had them um contrary to popular belief often I've made videos people have said oh every every EV has a heat pump what are you talking about what's the big deal

about a heat pump well false in fact categorically false more than 50% of EV sold over the past 12 months from Legacy automakers did not come with a heat pump

so that's one thing you want to consider when you buy an EB don't listen to your your bro science mate down the street just because he thinks all EVS have a heat pump actually do a check to make

sure it does with the first generation Engineers we're just figuring out how to heat and cool a vehicle said Mark Dawson most major suppliers including

valo Denso Bosch Hy morali and hanon systems are working on second or third gen Automotive heat pumps apparently Tesla is also working on a new generation of their own heat pumps as

well unlike most components which tend to become smaller and less expensive with successive Generations heat pumps are expected to become larger and more complex as automakers use them to

collect heat from a growing number of Vehicle Systems so it's not just about having a heat pump it's about utilizing that heat pump for all the different systems across the car if you're able to

do that it's actually quite complex but if you're able to do that you can get more an efficiency Boost from the heat pump so just cuz one has a heat pump and another one has it they may actually

work very differently because of how they're connected to the rest of the car we can take advantage of heat Scavenging opportunities in the electronic axle and we can move that energy around to

preserve battery charge said Engineers working on the latest heat pumps so how do they work heat pumps are responsible for cooling and heating the vehicle's interior the battery pack the power electronics and several other parts of

an EV now you might thinking well how's that all that how does that really matter when you charge your battery if you preheat the battery it will charge

much faster so some EVS enable that the ability to do that keeping those components at the proper temperatures is key to EV efficiency in cold weather the

battery pack will enable longer driving ranges if it is preconditioned or warmed before the vehicle leaves the driveway in hot weather the batteries Power

Electronics and charger need to be Co for efficiency and safety the major components of a heat pump include a compressor condenser evaporator

expansion valve and a refrigerant are liquid or gas in a nutshell a heat pump removes and transfers heat from air or from components the refrigerant inside

the heat pump system is either heated or it's cooled air passing over the condenser changes temperature heating or cooling the cabin in an internal

combustion vehicle the engine's coolant when it warms up is the source of heat for the interior while the air conditioning system in a separate circuit from the heater relies on a

compressor condenser evaporator and refrigerant to cool the interior you can see it's actually relatively complex heat pumps share several of the same

components as traditional heating ventilating and air conditioning systems and at least one trait as well whenever either system is in operation the

vehicle uses either more gasoline or more electricity but Engineers say there are lots of areas where heat pump efficiency can be improved a Tesla's

octov valve is one example of where you can push the limits of heat pump design but Tesla even are not particularly happy with that they believe they can

improve it at Denso Engineers have taken a modular approach to improvements for example combining the valves that were spread throughout the vehicle into a

single manifold reduce the number of hoses and connections and therefore lessens the chances of leaks and of efficiency being lost one of the most

promising areas where efficiency can be gained is the software that controls the pump it comes down to how well you understand where the energy is going when it is going to get there what the

physics are and the Dynamics that are happening in that moment in time what are the options well there's actually few the next generation of vos's heat pump will likely weigh less consume less

energy and deliver heat faster said the company the more heat that can be captured from the ev's mechanical and electrical components the less

electricity is needed to produce that heat suppliers are looking at different liquids and gases such as propane says Automotive news they say that in the

heat pump system some heat pumps use the same refrigerant as air conditioning systems while While others use glycol the coolant that's in a combustion vehicle's radiator despite heat pumps

using less electricity than resistive heaters significantly less they are not likely to replace them completely because of cost and other factors some EV

manufacturers they haven't really gotten to that position yet with their software or with their technology to actually deploy them successfully or to really you know it to really really worth the

cost of them doing it for a heat pump to work at top efficiency for the lowest cost suppliers have to be involved in the vehicle's design when the car is

being engineered if they're not doesn't really work very well for instance an ev's computer system generates a lot of heat can actually be cooled by a heat pump but if the car is not engineered

for the heat pumps Plumbing to be safely routed to the computer a retrofit isn't really a great idea resistive heaters are likely to remain in lower priced EV

say experts because of cost and in more expensive Vehicles they could be paired with heat pumps to deliver heat faster in cold weather so resistive heaters are

not going to disappear anytime soon could they eventually yeah is very possible regardless of how heat pumps evolve suppliers are hoping their consumers experiences with heat pumps

mirror those of Connecticut graphic artist Blake toen he doesn't notice the performance of the heater in cold weather on the air conditioner in the

summer or the air conditioner in the summer when he drives his Pulstar 2 his first electric car he said you know the system just

works and the terrain on range in winter when the car is cold was not a consideration when he leased the car back in 2021 Tobin's 15-minute commute

to work is comfortable in cold weather he uses the heaters in the steering wheel and seat to stay comfortable as the car warms up this is actually one way you can significantly increase

efficiency in your car don't turn on the heater just use the seat heater or the steering wheel heater as well that's a lot more efficient than trying to warm

up the entire car using a normal resistive heater if there is a gripe he said though digging in the screens to find the right settings is bothersome but the

performance of the heat pump has been flawless obviously not just Tesla are using heat pumps now many many manufacturers are but just because a car is more expensive

than another doesn't mean it is for example many Mercedes EVS last year didn't have heat pumps in them so make sure before you buy your car if you live in a cold environment that you focus on

getting in a car that's efficient but not just efficient but also efficient in cold weather for that to happen you're going to want a heat pump thanks for watching