Early starts, late finishes and overnight shifts mean driving in sub-zero temperatures can remain a regular occurrence for hardworking businesses even into spring. Now, a patented Ford technology can help Ford Pro electric vehicles drive further between recharges so their owners can get more done in cold weather.
Fitted as standard to every Ford E-Transit Custom, E-Tourneo Custom and enhanced range E-Transit, the company’s innovative Vapour-Injected Heat Pump (VIHP) technology provides an efficient way to warm the cabin by capturing heat energy from the air outside – even at temperatures far below -10°C.
Heating the cabin by capturing “free” energy reduces the battery power consumed to keep drivers warm and comfortable – meaning more energy in the battery for getting the job done.
During testing in real world and sophisticated laboratory environments, Ford engineers found the technology could improve the enhanced range E-Transit’s driving range between 7 per cent and 10 per cent when compared with a vehicle without a heat pump.
“For business that use vans, every kilometre travelled between top ups means less downtime and more money earned. We’re chasing every kilometre to maximise efficiency and make electric fleets more productive and cost-effective for hard-working businesses,” said Ingo Krolewski, supervisor, Climate Attribute and Controls, Ford.
Heat pumps are a popular, energy-efficient method for heating homes, offices and – more recently – electric vehicles. They use very cold refrigerant gasses to absorb heat from the environment and then compress those gasses to raise their temperatures. This way, a small amount of electrical energy to power the heat pump can be used to extract a larger amount of “free” heat energy.
Ford’s patented VIHP offers greater benefits than other designs of heat pump by using vapour injection to help improve efficiency when both heating and cooling a van’s interior. When temperatures outside rise above 25°C, the pump’s integrated cooling system can also pull heat out of the cabin – reducing the battery power needed to run the van’s air-conditioning.
Nearly two years of fine-tuning involved more than 100 wind tunnel tests and 25,000 kilometres of real-world evaluation for each model. Seven dedicated test trips included conditions as diverse as the heat of a Spanish summer to a -34°C Finnish winter.
Development was a collaborative effort between Ford engineering teams in the UK, Germany and the US.
