Does the 2020 U.S Niro EV have a heat pump?

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ForceEdge

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Considering buying the Niro or Kona. One major thing that’s making me lean towards the niro is the heat pump if it has one

what do you guys think on Kona or Niro?
 
The heat pump was not a factor for me, as I live in CA. However, I was also torn between the Niro and Kona. Ultimately, for me, it came down to the fact that the Niro has more space, almost identical range in real-world terms (I'm getting around 310-315 miles in summer, 280-290 in winter), and if I remember correctly the Niro was better equipped (safety features, ACC, LFA, etc.).
 
Nearly all, if not all, of the 2019 Niros for sale in MD had the Winter Package, that included heat pump and battery heater. I would assume (but do not know) that Kia would maintain that level of equipment for 2020.

I got the Niro due to increased size inside for almost the same efficiency/performance.
 
I thought all the Niro EVs came with the heat pump. Is this ONLY a feature of the winter package? My trim has the heated steering wheel which is advertised as part of the winter package. I guess I should take a look at my Monroney sticker.
 
My understanding is that the winter package only comes on vehicles in certain parts of the country. I am in CA, and I also have the heated steering wheel, but I do not have the winter package.
 
My Niro did not come with the heat pump in Houston, TX. Wish it did, because just like my house which has an all electric HVAC, winter heating with resistance heaters really drives down efficiency. Changing my home HVAC to a heat pump cut my electrical cost in half during the winter. And on the Niro, I’m probably averaging something like 3 mi/kW-hr this winter while this past summer with the AC on essentially all of the time, I was averaging 4.5 mi/kW-hr.
 
Battery heater will also improve your travel times even if you live in warmer daytime climates like CA. The Niro will not L3 fast charge higher than 55 KW until the battery temperature hits 78F. This is regardless of your SOC. With 78F+ and SOC below 53%, you can reach maximum 75 KW charging speeds. Without a battery heater, you will need to wait for the charging process itself to warm the battery. On my last trip, I spent like 20 minutes waiting for the battery to reach optimal charging speeds - at which point I was ready to unplug anyway. Luckily some of that charging heat was still retained when I reached the next charger.

Unfortunately, this car is unaware that you're traveling to a fast charger so it won't automatically preheat your battery like a Tesla for optimal charging speeds.
 
I live in Georgia, but this was one option I got. It's winter even here, and I averaged 5.0 on the dealer charge. I'm a few miles into my first charge, and it's still going up - 5.3 now
 
David T in Silicon Valley said:
Maybe I should have paid the extra $1080 for the winter kit. Oh well....
Click to expand...
Unless you spend a lot of time in the snow/freezing temperatures, I don't think it's really worth it. If you drive the car for an hour or two, it will hit 78 F on its own, even if it's freezing outside (provided that you drive at high speed ~65 mph).

I've only even noticed the slow charging on one occasion, when I was visiting family in Reno, NV and it was 20F outside.

If it only matters a couple of times per year, and you plan to keep the car for 5-10 years, then you're effectively paying $50-$100 per time that it matters. And you'll still get 22 kW, even when it's below freezing outside.
 
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