How does cabin heating work?

[pullinggs]

I can't wait for the winter discussions of heat pump vs no heat pump trucks. Our 2022 heats great. I believe heat pump owners will not be happy with what I expect to be:

- slower heat
- noisier heat
- vibration

We have a 23 XLT and a 24 Flash in the driveway, so one of each kind of heating system. We live in the Sierra foothills so while snow and ice are routine, butt-numbing cold (like we suffered in Michigan; I know of which I speak) is not.

Yes, resistive heat is almost instant-on and that's nice. Yes, there is some extra fan noise with the heat pump. But anyone that thinks one is significantly better than the other is mistaken. They both work just fine. Both are quiet and smooth when compared to ICE. Any difference between them in how they feel/perform is splitting hairs.

If you live in a place that has arctic cold then you might have a different experience.

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[jwrezz]

Water freezes at 0 c.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

Temperature and frost formation

• Surface vs. air temperature:
  Frost forms on surfaces that are at or below freezing, which are often much colder than the official air temperature reported a few feet above the ground.
  
  
  
  
• • Patchy frost:
    Temperatures between
    33&37 can lead to patchy frost, especially in rural areas.
    
    
    
    
  • Widespread frost:
    Temperatures of
    32 or colder will result in widespread frost and potential freezing conditions.
    
    
    
    
  • Freeze vs. frost:
    A freeze is defined as an air temperature of
    32 or colder for a sustained period, while frost is the icy deposit that forms on surfaces that have reached the freezing point.
    
    
    
    

Conditions that favor frost formation

• • Calm and clear nights:
    These conditions allow heat to radiate and escape from the ground into the atmosphere, cooling the surface and ground-level air more quickly than the air higher up.
  • Temperature inversion:
    The phenomenon where warmer air rises and denser, colder air sinks to the ground is known as a temperature inversion. This means the temperature can be several degrees warmer just a few feet above the surface.

 

[MaintGrl]

He said "this is the new, all electric f150?" my reply of "yes" had him ask "why is it so noisy?" As I got closer, I said it must be that I have the AC on. It can get quite loud when it needs to.

It's noisy because you don't have a loud engine to cover up the compressor, heat pump noise.

Also, lest we forget, many of us came from an ICE, where after 5 minutes of run time the engine was makin 180° water, then sending that to the interior radiator, THAT heats up a cab quickly.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I'd love for https://www.youtube.com/@MunroLive to do an in depth review of the new heat pump system.

 

[MaintGrl]

I'd love for https://www.youtube.com/@MunroLive to do an in depth review of the new heat pump system.

YES! Please! I second that....

 

[B177y]

Only 42F here this morning...not even cold yet. But with the truck on "Auto" and temp set to 74F it still never got warm. Also, the windshield gets foggy.

So two questions:

Why do I have to crank the temp up so high to get warmth in the cabin? ALL my prior trucks I would set to 68-70F and stay comfy.

Why does "Auto" mode still require me to select A/C to get the compressor to clear the fog off the windshield?

Need some clarification on your original question.

How long is the trip where you are experiencing the HVAC issues that you describe?

For me, the best HVAC performance is if I pre-condition the cabin while plugged in or on battery. The heat pump seems to work best after 15-20 minutes whether I'm driving or for a pre condition. It is slow to react if I change temps on the fly, but this is similar to my home heat pump mini splits. If you are making short trips, you might not ever get into the heat pump "sweet spot". Compared to my old Mach-e with resistance heat HVAC, the heat pump is much slower, but more steady after time.

I use Auto low most of the time with a setting between 68-72. I shut off auto, heat, and AC manually when it's nice out and I just want air or windows open. I keep "driver focused" off as all that did was make the fan louder.

I haven't experienced any fogging issues using this setup. Hope that helps.

 

[F150guy]

Only the seat, rear defrost, side mirrors and steering wheel heat are resistive 24>

Thank you. I agree.

I will say the steering wheel heat is inadequate. Starts off warm (not toasty) and then diminishes but stays on at barely above what your hand would generate for heat by itself. I keep forgetting to contact my dealer about it. Maybe this week.

 

[P-38]

Thank you. I agree.

I will say the steering wheel heat is inadequate. Starts off warm (not toasty) and then diminishes but stays on at barely above what your hand would generate for heat by itself. I keep forgetting to contact my dealer about it. Maybe this week.

You can adjust the steering wheel temp with forscan. Your dealer should be able to as well they just might need a little nudge to get them looking in the right place

 

[hb.sagen]

This will be the first winter for me. On any car I've had I have always used A/C in the winter to combat fogging inside. Will do so this winter too. Hope it works.

Filling the car with people and snow from shoes etc. always creates a fogging potential.

 

[jwrezz]

The only thing I would say is that for the heat pump trucks the "AC" compressor will run, as will the exterior fan when making heat. For the resistive heater there will be no sound at all.

I'm not saying those are loud or unusual, just that there is no sound at all with the older trucks.

Edit: Aside from the interior cabin fan that is

It also depends on how hard the system needs to work to overcome ambient temperature. Either way, cooling or heating the cabin, if it has to work harder it will definitely be louder. This is why I said on that unusually hot day in the Autumn when I had the AC on, sorry the cooling on, my truck was in its parking space as I was approaching it and my coworker said why is it so loud if it's an electric truck? But it wasn't the truck running it was the HVAC running. When I turn it on in my driveway and there isn't much of a difference between the outside and inside temperature, it's nearly silent.

 

[WXman]

This will be the first winter for me. On any car I've had I have always used A/C in the winter to combat fogging inside. Will do so this winter too. Hope it works.

Filling the car with people and snow from shoes etc. always creates a fogging potential.

Yes, have to use the A/C button to provide conditioned, dry air into the cabin for defogging. Works great, even on the Lightning.

I guess my main point is that it seems that on my '25 Flash, the "Auto" setting does not use the A/C automatically when there is moisture in the cabin and fog on the inside of the windshield. To me this seems very odd, and it's the first vehicle (out of 30+) that I've had that behaves this way. I guess this winter I'll just turn "Auto" off and use the controls manually.

 

[RickLightning]

The only thing I would say is that for the heat pump trucks the "AC" compressor will run, as will the exterior fan when making heat. For the resistive heater there will be no sound at all.

I'm not saying those are loud or unusual, just that there is no sound at all with the older trucks.

Edit: Aside from the interior cabin fan that is

Right. In summary, the Lightnings with heat pumps are dramatically noisier than those without. How noisy a vehicle is in the dead of summer as compared to the dead of winter is irrelevant...

Thank you. I agree.

I will say the steering wheel heat is inadequate. Starts off warm (not toasty) and then diminishes but stays on at barely above what your hand would generate for heat by itself. I keep forgetting to contact my dealer about it. Maybe this week.

The amount of heat will vary depending on the temperature.

 

[B177y]

Yes, have to use the A/C button to provide conditioned, dry air into the cabin for defogging. Works great, even on the Lightning.

I guess my main point is that it seems that on my '25 Flash, the "Auto" setting does not use the A/C automatically when there is moisture in the cabin and fog on the inside of the windshield. To me this seems very odd, and it's the first vehicle (out of 30+) that I've had that behaves this way. I guess this winter I'll just turn "Auto" off and use the controls manually.

In my '24 Pro with a heat pump, the AC toggles itself on and off constantly while in Auto mode. As soon as I think to myself, "Hmmm, there's some fog starting on the windows", it seems to turn itself on and the fog automagically goes away. If you get consistent fogging in Auto, I would suggest a trip to dealer service while you're under warranty as there may be an issue with your humidity sensor or some other component that is not working properly.

 

[RickLightning]

I guess my truck Is special then because it makes no difference in sound on my truck, I don't hear anything with it on. If I had to compare to my other truck, it's dead silent.

In the winter, my truck makes no noise running the heat. Your truck makes the same noise as it does in the summer. That noise, IN THE WINTER, is much louder than my truck's noise in the winter. Which of course you know, and understand.

 

[F150guy]

Right. In summary, the Lightnings with heat pumps are dramatically noisier than those without. How noisy a vehicle is in the dead of summer as compared to the dead of winter is irrelevant...



The amount of heat will vary depending on the temperature.

So my steering wheel temp also adjusts to environment temps? I was thinking it just has an initial temp (mild but never hot) and then it diminishes to barely mild according to software logic.

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