How important are heat pumps in cold climates?

[Maine EV girl]

I'm just starting to look into EV's, mostly Konas and Niros, tho I'm interested in the Ioniq5 as well. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with owning EV's in cold climates like Maine, and whether having a heat pump makes much of a difference in range in the winter. I know ideally one can use heated seats/steering wheels, but since the Kona doesn't even have the option, it would be nice to know the importance of having one.

 

[teslarati97]

It's more important to have both resistive and heat pump cabin heaters for highway driving during arctic-like conditions (-25F and below). Heat pumps will certainly help your range and the cold temps will probably reduce your range anywhere from 15-50% during the winter regardless of a heat pump. That goes the same with ICE vehicles.

 

[Paul K]

I have a 2018 Leaf S which does not have a heat pump. (Well technically it does but it's only used for a/c not heat). A heated steering wheel and seats make all the difference. Generally at temperatures down to freezing I can get by with just those as I'm already dressed for winter. I can do short trips well below freezing if the windows aren't fogging. On longer runs my feet and face start to freeze and I watch the GOM plunge when I hit the heat button.

I would consider the heated steering wheel and seats to be essential equipment in areas with cold winters. As compelling as Hyundai and Kia vehicles are becoming if they are not going to include these in the base models I probably won't be buying one.

 

[C02less]

Great question! based on my experience I highly recommend the heat pump for your climate. Here's why:

I have a 2021 Kona BEV with heat pump for cabin heat and battery heating and I am pleased with its performance. I live in the BC interior and I see temperatures down to about -20C. The car heats up quickly and stays warm. The more significant advantage of a heat pump, in my opinion, is the effect heating the battery has on wintertime range and charging speed. Before I bought the Kona I drove a Bolt. Two roughly similar cars, but the Bolt did not have a heat pump or a heater for the battery. At any temperature below about +10C the Bolt's range dropped off, and got rapidly worse with decreasing temperatures. IIRC at -20C the Bolt might only have 180km or so, while the Kona still has 300km. And the Bolt seemed to take forever to charge at those temperatures. At -20C a road trip in the Bolt required 1 hour of charging for every hour of driving (ugh!), not so in the Kona. The Bolt did have its strong points (a little roomier and I liked the driving dynamics), but I would trade those 10 times over to get the heat pump. Bottom line: if you need snow tires where you live, get the heat pump. You won't be sorry.

PS> My wife loves the heated seats and heated steering wheel in winter. Get those too if you can.

 

[Maine EV girl]

Great question! based on my experience I highly recommend the heat pump for your climate. Here's why:

I have a 2021 Kona BEV with heat pump for cabin heat and battery heating and I am pleased with its performance. I live in the BC interior and I see temperatures down to about -20C. The car heats up quickly and stays warm. The more significant advantage of a heat pump, in my opinion, is the effect heating the battery has on wintertime range and charging speed. Before I bought the Kona I drove a Bolt. Two roughly similar cars, but the Bolt did not have a heat pump or a heater for the battery. At any temperature below about +10C the Bolt's range dropped off, and got rapidly worse with decreasing temperatures. IIRC at -20C the Bolt might only have 180km or so, while the Kona still has 300km. And the Bolt seemed to take forever to charge at those temperatures. At -20C a road trip in the Bolt required 1 hour of charging for every hour of driving (ugh!), not so in the Kona. The Bolt did have its strong points (a little roomier and I liked the driving dynamics), but I would trade those 10 times over to get the heat pump. Bottom line: if you need snow tires where you live, get the heat pump. You won't be sorry.

PS> My wife loves the heated seats and heated steering wheel in winter. Get those too if you can.

I am strongly leaning towards the ID4, the only problem is it doesn't come with a heat pump! It charges so much more quickly than the Kona or Niro (unless things change in 2023), which is a definite positive, but I've heard the range really suffers in the winter.

 

[C02less]

Faster charging is a strong selling feature, but in actual practice it matters less. Here's why:
- Most charges take me only 30 seconds because 90% of the time I charge at home overnight. This is what most EV owners do because it's cheap and convenient. Although if you do not plan on charging at home very often fast charging could be valuable to you.
- I found that once I got into the rhythm of road trips 50kW was actually enough charging speed. By planning my charging around coffee and lunch stops, and charging overnight at hotels, my 50kW charges don't add significant time to a travel day. Planning my stops on an app like plugshare is one of the unexpected joys of EV roadtrips.
- Although my Kona is capable of charging at 75kW, often the charging stations will only put out 50kW. Even if the charging station claims a higher output they often won't deliver that rate. Since charging stations charge by the minute they want to keep you there longer so you pay more.
- I expect the ID4 would charge more slowly than advertised in winter based on my experience with the Bolt.
- The last two points are my speculation, tempered by experience with cars other than the ID4. I suggest you validate those points by researching the experiences of actual ID4 owners.

If you plan to frequent a particular charger that's in a nasty location faster charging is an advantage. I have to charge at a hot, dusty, noisy, smelly truck stop several times a year when I am away from home, and even though the charger puts out an honest 75kW I still wish my car would charge faster so I could get out of there sooner, lol.

If I had to choose I would take the car that has both a heat pump and fast charging, lol, because both have advantages. But if it was one or the other my choice would very definitely be the heat pump. You have to make the choice that is right for you, considering your own driving needs.