-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Do I have a heat pump?
- Thread starter sightman
- Start date
I have been dealing with this noise all summer. I never noticed it last year, i only started noticing it in May. I can replicate it 100% of the time by turning on the fans to full blast with the AC on. On a hot day when getting in the car (Auto climate) the noise stops after about 20-30 seconds.
This is my first summer with the car but I’m experiencing the same exact thing.
I wrote to my delivery advisor and his response makes sense based on what others are saying here. He said “They did not switch to a heat pump in the Model 3. What you are hearing is the battery overheat protection. You'll hear this more often in the summer months than the winter, naturally. ‘
Preamble:
I think there's some confusion. This is definitely a compressor sound. A compressor is present for both AC and the new "heat pump" system. In fact, AC is a heat pump (which is why it uses less power), but when people refer to "heat pumps" in EVs they usually specifically mean the same-ish system is also being used for heating. So this noise is present on older models, but only for cooling and/or dehumidifying.
Despite it being the unpopular opinion, I'm still pretty sure you have the new heat pump or a weirdly behaving car. Delivery advisors often don't really know what's going on in the future, and they want you to be happy with what you have, so I wouldn't take their word on it. If you've ruled out dehumidification (by setting temp to high and manually toggling AC off) and it still makes this noise, you've either discovered what appears to be a software bug or you have a heat pump. One small exception at the end of this post.
They were right that it can engage the cooling system to cool the battery. This doesn't happen until much higher temperatures. The video you had was taken at 73F in the morning (presumably lots of time for the battery to equalize at this temperature). There would be no reason to run the compressor for cooling in this case unless it either needed dehumidification or to cool the cabin.
Now, one exception. If I'm recalling correctly, the battery needs to be above 120F for this active cooling to engage. You can get to this if all of the following are true:
- You have a large amount to charge overnight, like 40+%
- You have a very high current charging setup, probably 40A or greater
- Your garage is very well insulated and keeps in the heat
- It finished charging just before you took this video
This video shows the heat pump in the Model Y. The first thing you notice is that the chiller is moved to the passenger side and the heat pump has a large orange Power wire on the front.
The model 3 a/c compressor has the chiller on the driver side and the compressor is incased in a black plastic insulation shroud.
The model 3 a/c compressor has the chiller on the driver side and the compressor is incased in a black plastic insulation shroud.
michael_mke
Member
I actually watched that video. That case is for a heat pump in a different vehicle. The Model Y's heat pump does not have a case. Tesla is offering to install foam padding around the heat pump though to help with the noise.
So licensing to homelink is less than $300 for the life of the car? The techs pay is more than that. lol.
but I get it. Many ppl use their garage as storage. And live in apartments without a personal garage.
Except my car makes the exact same sound in the same conditions and I bought mine in December 2019 - it’s unlikely I have the new heat pump.
Rothgarr
Active Member
Regarding the reason for the heat pump, is its purpose to:
- Warm/cool the batteries?
- Provide air conditioning to the cabin?
- Provide heat to the cabin?
All of the above as well as providing cooling to the drive units.
RScottyL
Member
It sounds like it is possible the heat pump may be coming to the Model 3:
Tesla updates Model 3 frunk, makes it a bit smaller — but why? - Electrek
Tesla updates Model 3 frunk, makes it a bit smaller — but why? - Electrek
If it's truly in the same conditions (you turned on the heater?), then it's probably dealing with excess battery heat from charging like I mentioned or also running the AC for dehumidification if you haven't manually excluded that.
If it's outside in the heat at all right now in summer, then it's just AC.
iwannam3
Active Member
The AC compressor frequently runs during heating down to quite low temperatures to de-humidify. That's why cold weather gives you such a range hit if you leave the HVAC in auto. Manual selection of de-fog/frost and turning off AC gives least range loss. Turn recirc off so occupants respiration doesn't fog up windshield. You may periodically have to put the AC compressor on to clear the fog with high out side humidity. Just leave it in auto if you're not pressed for range.
The best way for an amateur like me to confirm this is to drive it for a while in cold temps. Range loss in the cold is MUCH less with the Y. My brother in-law has one and he says using the heat barely consumes any more power than the A/C. I've read that a lot.
If I had the car wide open I'd have no idea what I am looking at. Real world conditions will give you an answer!
If I had the car wide open I'd have no idea what I am looking at. Real world conditions will give you an answer!
No heat pump confirmation yet which means that probably none have been sold in numbers yet. Likely if it is happening the first cars manufactured with it and are on ships to Europe now. North American cars will not show up until later in the quarter (maybe early in November) following Tesla MO of operation. European production first of quarter and then North American.
Similar threads
