So I have to take a road trip in an EV, and it’s winter. So I’m going to have to use the AC. I know in my old ICE car I could have the AC off and the fan would blow hot air just from the engine. With my EV it seems to be the same, even with the AC button off the vents are blowing hot air. Is that hot air just heat vented from the battery? Or is it still using battery power for the compressor to heat the air.
Teslas use a combination of energy transfer via heat pump from motor heating, and PTC heater (the defrost heat). Up to 15kW can be consumed for rapid heating of cabin, rear window and windshield. It’s awesome.