Emerson proposes electric-powered heat pumps for school buses

Can a heat pump-equipped battery electric vehicle (BEV) overcome major energy losses for cabin heating comfort in cold ambient conditions-and at reasonable system cost? These questions were addressed at the 2018 SAE Thermal Management Systems Symposium, and although definitive answers may not all be production ready, promising work has been done.

The industry recognizes as unacceptable the BEV battery pack range losses of up to 40%+ from winter operation with PTC (positive temperature coefficient) heating, which is the conventional approach.