Recently, the commercial vehicle business arm of Ford Motor Company, known as Ford Pro, has unveiled an expectation of a new upcoming EV innovation. This breakthrough is aimed at addressing the problem that has been persisting and causing hardness in vehicle autonomy, particularly during winters. I am delighted to review this novel idea that is set to revolutionize the performance of electric vehicles in winter.
Table of Contents
Increasing Autonomy with Heat Pump Technology
The novelty of Ford is in a new heat pump that increases the level of self-sufficiency of electric cars in cold climates. This technology relates to the following problem: electric cars usually come with a stated battery range that significantly drops in extreme cold weather due to higher energy consumption.
The heat pump is a solution contributed by Ford and this company has developed an alternative vapor injection system that is unique to its models. Its unique feature is that air from the outside is used and its temperature of up to -10 degrees Celsius can be used to heat the building. This helped to decrease battery consumption and increase the autonomy of the car by 10% more than those vehicles that lacked this technology. As I said above, I think this is great news for people that own electric vehicles, especially in countries that undergo winter, where range limitations can be quite an issue.
Dual Functionality: Heating and Cooling
Although the main use of this component is to heat the passenger compartment, it does not end with it. Ford added that the system shall also help in increasing the efficiency of cooling during very hot seasons. Based on the time schedule mentioned below, the integrated pump cooling system that cools a vehicle, yes, takes heat from the passenger area, where the temperature goes beyond 25 degrees Celsius. This means that it cuts down the amount of load that has to be supplied to the batteries to operate the air conditioning systems. I was particularly thrilled to note dual operation for both high and low temperatures because heat and cold are contrary to each other yet crucial for respective performance in the summer and winter months.
Availability and Testing
At the moment, Ford uses this technology in the following three modifications of electric utility vehicles: E-Transit, E-Transit Custom, and E-Tourneo Custom. Having over 100 tests in the wind tunnels and over 25000 km of on-road tests over two years, the company has established the efficiency of the heat pump. These tests included heat in Spain, cold in Finland, down to -34 degrees Celsius and many others. That is why I believe that this extensive auto-testing shows the seriousness of Ford in creating reliable and high-performance automobiles.
Personal Take
In my opinion, the major drawback is that many people do not consider buying EVs because of the range anxiety primarily caused by abrasive weather. This anxiety is well founded and handled by Ford’s innovation to make EVs a reality, not just for consumption by residents of warmer climates. Frankly, the use of this technology may push the progress of electric cars to the next level, given the present climates of specific countries and regions.
End Note
The heat pump with the vapor injection system is one of the recent innovations that Ford unveiled as part of the improvements in the development of electric cars. Ford does not only work on range anxiety, but in fact, it works on the realism of electric cars in winter and the hot summer by increasing the level of autonomy in the cold season and enhancing cooling in the heat. Being a lover of green technology innovations and especially with the increased adoption of electric vehicles, I look forward to seeing how the future of this particular technology would unfold. Hence, such innovations remain imperative in creating awareness of electrically charged vehicles to make them relevant in the current society.
