Performance characteristics of mobile heat pump for a large passenger electric vehicle

In this study, the performance of a mobile heat pump for an electric bus, which uses the wasted heat of electric devices for a heating and air source for a cooling, was evaluated. Both cooling and heating performances of the mobile heat pump were tested under various experimental conditions, and then optimized by varying the refrigerant charge and the compressor frequency. The cooling capacity at all compressor frequencies was over 23.0 kW, which is sufficient for the cooling loads of an electric bus. The heating COP decreased but the heating capacity increased with the rise of outdoor temperature and the compressor frequency. The heating COP was 2.4 at an outdoor temperature of 10.0 °C. The observed heating and cooling performance characteristics of the mobile heat pump means it could be used for cabin heating and air conditioning of an electric vehicle with a short driving range.

► EV (electric vehicle) suffers from a short driving range.
► We developed the effective hybrid heat pump system in a cabin for an EV.
► Heating system used a coolant source and cooling system used an air source.
► The observed results suggested the feasibility of integrating a heat pump of an EV.