Does the Ariya have a heat pump?

DallasEV said:

My prior research indicated it did, but I found nothing in the manual that mentions it specifically.
Official sticker from Nissan at time of purchase indicates a "hybrid heater" which to me implies a heat pump (normal would be resistive heating).

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atreis said:

Yes, hybrid heater is the heat pump, plus resistance heating when temperatures are some amount below zero.

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dyc488 said:

I have asked the dealer and called the 800 number. The dealer said they will get back to me but no answer yet. I called the 800 number. This is their reply. "The official documents I have does not specifically call it out as a heat pump. But, my 3rd party information says yes." I read that as Nissan doesn't say it but youtubers and web resource says yes. The ID4 in Europe has the heat pump but got lost somewhere when manufacturing moved to the USA. I read it as cost cutting to gain more profit.

So the lucky ones that got their cars, can you comment on this?

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EarlyEVadopter said:

My first gen. Leaf (2011) has electric resistance heater (only) which is essentially a glorified toaster with a blower behind it. That system performs marginal at best once outdoor temps dip to 35 degrees or lower and range is dramatically impacted during those lower temps. (We use our seat heaters and heated steering wheel a lot during the winter). The beauty of Nissan having a decade of practical EV design prior to introducing the Ariya is that they learned from customer complaints that a Heat Pump is a must have. So all Leafs manufactured 2013 and beyond have been equipped with a Heat Pump combined with electric resistance back up. Note - the resistance heat will only stage on when outdoor temps are so low that the heat pump alone can’t maintain the indoor cabin setting. Nissan refers to it as a “Hybrid “ heater because of this second stage resistance heating. The compressor shown in the picture provided by datfish is not necessarily unique to a Heat Pump as my 2011 Leaf has a similar looking compressor for cooling. What’s unique about a Heat Pump HVAC compressor vs an Air Conditioning HVAC compressor is the Heat Pump HVAC system includes a reversing valve in its refrigeration circuit allowing the refrigerant to change direction between condensing and evaporative coils.
Kia, Hyundai, and now VW are choosing to continue to ship many EV’s without heat Pumps to the Northern US and Canada. IMO dealers and consumer hot lines for those manufacturers will be subjected to numerous complaints by disgruntled customers wondering why their EV‘s HVAC system was not fitted with a heat pump.

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new2niss said:

So, Leaf 2011 and 2012 can't be retrofitted with heat pump or something similar? I'm no car designer, just thinking out loud...

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Tom said:

So does that mean the heat pump works both as a heater and cooler (reverse cycle)? With resistance heating called on at low temperatures? Simple, elegant, but pricey, Normal consumer would know nothing about this. Kudos to Nissan for keeping it in.

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EarlyEVadopter said:

I learned long ago that the impossible just takes a little longer. However whenever you decide to go that direction you best plan to invest some serious time and $ as well. My early profession was an auto mechanic for about 10 years and eventually shifted into the residential and commercial HVAC business nearly 40 years thereafter. So I do have some practical experience in such a scenario. Would it be worth retrofitting a 2011/12 Leaf with a heat pump? Probably not since the cost to retrofit wouldn’t be worth the investment since my 2011 SL Leaf with only 54K miles on a good day is only valued at $8500.00 on the retail market. IMO A better investment would be to just live with electric resistance heat and retrofit a 40KW battery pack to increase the range up to a more respectable 150 miles.

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new2niss said:

very interesting.. do you still have that Leaf? I don't live in a very cold climate, so that's not a frequent topic at the coffee bar.. however, recent cold snaps might have changed some thoughts.. if the consumers are not aware of such features, do you think salespeople would advise them? I certainly didn't know about resistance heat vs heat pump, though I can understand the logic/design behind that.. Auto mechanic and HVAC are always fascinating subjects but I can't bear getting my hands dirty to change career

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MrSteve007 said:

When I was pouring over the cooling/mechanical specs, I was also surprised to see an electric resistance heater built into the top of the battery pack on the Ariya, in addition to the standard heat-pump for the cabin. It looked as if the primary liquid cooling for the battery is tied into the HVAC system up front, but they also included a supplemental electric resistance coolant heater within the battery itself, for cold weather operation. Kinda cool, and I think a unique back-up feature to the Ariya.

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