In cold weather, electric heat can sap 40% more energy from the battery. The BEV model has a heat pump. The i3 has a heat pump. Honestly wondering if it’s possible to retrofit the BEV parts into a PEHV and reap the savings.
Can't imagine the ROI would justify it, though doing it to say you can/did is a different goal entirely. I wondered why not too. Guess the thought was to save $10 since the ICE can help heat...
I couldn't find a photo of the heat-pump setup for the Clarity Electric (RIP), an electric Audi or a Tesla, but look at how much plumbing is required around the motor to accomplish liquid cooling with a heat-pump in the electric MINI Cooper SE.
An electric heater is far simpler and reliable. Since the system includes a gas engine it also is tied to the waste heat from the engine. A heat pump would have to be an "air conditioner" system with twice the life expectancy of just a straight air conditioner since it would have a 100% duty cycle.
Exactly, with a gas engine there is less benefit to heat pump. It will be beneficial only when you are driving in EV mode in cold weather. Most Clarity PHEVs are sold in moderate climate states. The RAV4 prime does have a heat pump though, so it is a nice thing to have if you are in snow belt.
Possibly difficult to package in the engine compartment along with the ICE and clearly more expensive.
In the snow belt here on the Canadian border. So more savings where we are at. Would agree that packaging and ICE and electric into the engine bay likely complicated it. Just so much more efficient for those of us in cold climates that don’t use the ICE that much.
The existing AC system is a heat pump. What you are asking for is some additional plumbing to allow the AC to be able to reverse and pump heat into the cabin in cold weather as well as still being able to pump heat out of the cabin in hot weather.
Right. We have a heat pump at the house. Works great. I do wish we could just run the AC in reverse, but it’s not configured that way.
fwiw the BMW i3 REX does not have a heat pump, only a resistive heater, while the BEV model has both the resistive and heat pump in the US (heat pump is optional extra in europre iirc).
The I3 Rex has neither a heat pump nor any way to utilize engine or electronics waste heat for cabin heating. 100% resistive. The BEV model has a (now optional) heat pump with backup resistive heater.
