VEHICLE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM UTILIZING A HEAT PUMP

Abstract

An electric or hybrid electric vehicle has a climate control system using a heat pump having a condenser heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber, and an evaporator heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber. An insulated fluid reservoir may selectively be placed in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber, and has a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater that may be powered by a drivetrain battery unit or by a shore power source. The hot fluid chamber provides heat to at least one cabin heat exchanger and to at least one ambient air heat exchanger. The cold fluid chamber is connected to at least one vehicle interior cooling module and to a liquid cooled heat sink that may cool an electric motor and power electronics of the vehicle.

Description

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to electric or hybrid electric drive vehicles, and in particular it relates to a climate control system arrangement and method utilizing a heat pump for such vehicles.

RELATED ART

A full electric wheeled vehicle, such as a car or truck, is propelled solely by one or more electric motors, sometimes referred to as a traction motor. A hybrid electric wheeled vehicle is propelled by one or more electric motors or traction motors, in conjunction with another power source, such as an internal combustion engine, as a non-limiting example. The traction motor draws electric current from an on-board source of electricity, such as a battery or capacitor bank. Presently, the storage capacity of such batteries or capacitor banks is limited, so that the vehicle has a range of travel when operating under electric propulsion that is limited not only by how it is driven and the physical characteristics of the geographical area within which it travels, but also by the amount of on-board stored energy that the onboard source of electricity can deliver to the motor.

Because the propulsion system of a full electric wheeled vehicle lacks an internal combustion engine, and therefore also lacks an engine cooling system through which liquid coolant circulates, hot liquid coolant is unavailable for heating the interior of the cabin, cab, or passenger compartment. Similarly, the propulsion system of a hybrid electric wheeled vehicle may operate for significant periods of time without operation of the internal combustion engine, so that insufficient heat is provided by the circulating liquid coolant of the engine coolant system for heating the interior of the cabin, cab, or passenger compartment. Nevertheless, heating of the cabin, cab, or passenger compartment is necessary, not only for the comfort of the occupants, but also for the purpose of defrosting the vehicle windows. Therefore, it is known to provide another source of heat, such as electric heaters, within the vehicle Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Additionally, air conditioning in conventional non-electric vehicles is generally provided by an air conditioning compressor that is mechanically driven by the internal combustion engine. Because a full electric wheeled vehicle lacks an internal combustion engine, and because the internal combustion engine of a hybrid electric vehicle may be turned off for significant periods of time, it is necessary to provide an alternate source of cooling for the cab, cabin, or passenger compartment for such vehicles when air conditioning is desired.

Electric heaters used to heat the cab, cabin, or passenger compartment of full electric or hybrid electric vehicles typically draw electric current from the same on-board source of electricity that supplies current to the traction motor that propels the vehicle. Similarly, any electrically operated alternate source of cooling for the cab, cabin, or passenger compartment of a full electric or hybrid electric vehicle also typically draws electric current from the same on-board source of electricity that supplies current to the traction motor that propels the vehicle. Therefore, heating and cooling of the cab, cabin, or passenger compartment of a full electric or hybrid electric vehicle, including defrosting of the vehicle windows, is accomplished at the expense of limiting the vehicle's range of travel under electric power, due to the finite quantity of electrical energy that is stored in the on-board source of electricity. Furthermore, independent of battery chemistry, battery cycle life is typically a non-linear function of repeated depth-of-discharge, and therefore is a non-linear indirect function of HVAC system efficiency. For example, for an AGM battery system, a 20% increase in the efficiency, or Coefficient of Performance (COP), of a battery operated engine-off HVAC system may result in a 50% increase in overall battery charge-discharge cycle life.

Accordingly, there is an unmet need for a system and method for providing energy efficient heating and cooling of the cabin, cab, or passenger compartment of a full electric or hybrid electric wheeled vehicle, in order to conserve electric power within the on-board source of electricity and extend the range of travel of the full electric or hybrid electric wheeled vehicle.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, an electric or hybrid electric vehicle has a climate control system. The climate control system includes a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger. The condenser heat exchanger exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber. The evaporator heat exchanger exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber. An insulated fluid reservoir may selectively be placed in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber. The insulated fluid reservoir has a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater that may be powered by a drivetrain battery unit or by a shore power source.

According to another embodiment of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, a climate control system of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle includes a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger. The condenser heat exchanger exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber. The evaporator heat exchanger exchanges heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber. An insulated fluid reservoir may selectively be placed in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber. The insulated fluid reservoir has a PTC heater that may be powered by a drivetrain battery unit or a shore power source.

According to another embodiment of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, a method of providing climate control in an occupant compartment of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle includes several steps. The first step is providing a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger. The second step is exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber by way of the condenser heat exchanger, and exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber by way of the evaporator heat exchanger. The third step is selectively placing an insulated fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber using an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, and/or selectively placing the insulated fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber using an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump. The fourth step is selectively heating working fluid within the insulated fluid reservoir using a PTC heater by selectively powering the PTC heater from a drivetrain battery unit by way of a drive train battery connector or from a shore power source by way of a shore power contactor. The fifth step is selectively placing the hot fluid chamber in fluid communication with at least one cabin heat exchanger using a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, with at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater using a hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump, and/or with at least one ambient air heat exchanger using a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump. The sixth step is selectively placing the cold fluid chamber in fluid communication with at least one vehicle interior cooling module using a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump. The seventh step is selectively placing a liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or the hot fluid chamber using a liquid cooled heat sink pump and at least one control valve, the liquid cooled heat sink being connected to an electric drive motor of the vehicle and/or power electronics connected to the electric drive motor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, as described herein;

FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, as described herein;

FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, as described herein;

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, as described herein; and

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein relate to a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump and methods for the use thereof. The system and method may be applied to various types of electric or hybrid electric vehicles, such as highway or semi-tractors, straight trucks, busses, fire trucks, agricultural vehicles, rail travelling vehicles, and etcetera. The several embodiments of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump and methods for the use thereof presented herein are employed on vehicles having an electric drivetrain, but this is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the system and method, which may be applied to vehicles and engines of differing construction.

In at least one embodiment, this disclosure introduces a climate control system for the interior of a cabin of a wheeled vehicle that is propelled by an electric traction motor that draws electricity from an on-board source of electricity. The basic climate control system as shown in FIG. 1 and discussed in greater detail hereinafter includes a heat pump that can provide both heating and cooling of the cabin interior. When the heat pump operates, a refrigerant compressor draws evaporated refrigerant from an outlet of a cold side heat exchanger and compresses the refrigerant to force liquid refrigerant to flow through a hot side heat exchanger, in order to reject heat, and thereafter to an inlet of an expansion valve. An outlet of the expansion valve is open to an inlet of a cold side heat exchanger to allow the refrigerant to expand and boil, in order to absorb heat as it passes through the cold side heat exchanger. The refrigerant then exits to complete the refrigerant circuit back to refrigerant compressor. This creates a temperature difference between the hot side heat exchanger and the cold side heat exchanger.

While the heat pump is operated by its own electric motor that draws electric current from the same on-board source of electricity as the electric traction motor when the vehicle is being driven, the heating efficiency of a heat pump is significantly greater than that of an electric heater, and its cooling efficiency is significantly greater than that of the typical air conditioning system of a vehicle propelled by a fuel burning prime mover. Current heat pump technology can provide a COP (Coefficient of Performance) in the range of about 3.5, meaning that for one watt of energy input, the heat pump can provide about 3.5 watts of heat output for heating and a similar cooling output for cooling. Heat pump performance can also be characterized by an EER (energy efficiency rating), calculated by dividing the BTU heating or cooling output by the power input in watts.

When used for heating, the COP of an air sourced heat pump decreases as the outside temperature decreases. For example, when the heat pump is being used for heating, and the ambient temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the COP of the heat pump may be in the range of 4.0. As the ambient temperature decreases, the COP of the heat pump decreases in a generally linear relationship. When the ambient temperature is about zero degrees Fahrenheit, the COP of the heat pump may be no greater than that achievable using resistive heating, i.e.—having a COP equal to 1.0. At zero degrees Fahrenheit, the ambient temperature is nearly at the boiling point of the refrigerant, so that gaseous refrigerant is being produced at low volume and pressure, causing the drop in efficiency at the heat pump and reduced overall system efficiency. Nevertheless, sufficient refrigerant boiling to increase efficiency over resistive heating occurs at about 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

By adding heat to the system using a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater, which may be a resistive heating device, the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump and methods for the use thereof raises the COP of the heat pump under low temperature conditions for the purpose of delivering cabin heat and improving efficiency of the system during cold ambient environmental conditions, i.e.—ambient temperatures that are less than 30 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, using a PTC heater, the system and method sacrifices a COP of 1, but obtains a heat pump COP of 2.5, instead of the COP of 1 attainable using the PTC heater alone. In other words, in this example, the system and method expends 1 watt in order to get 2.5 watts of heating. This may be accomplished by heating a working fluid, as will be explained further. This further allows for stabilizing the COP of the heat pump, thereby enabling the selection of a heat pump compressor of more efficient size. Ultimately, this may result in a markedly increased battery cycle life according to the principle discussed previously wherein battery cycle life is a non-linear indirect function of HVAC system efficiency.

In a conventional heat pump arrangement, such as for example a residential heat pump arrangement, when operating in heating mode the evaporator draws heat directly from the ambient air and the condenser rejects heat directly to the heated inside air. When operating in cooling mode, the evaporator draws heat directly from the conditioned inside air and the condenser rejects heat directly to the ambient air. As noted previously, however, when the evaporator temperature falls far enough, the refrigerant approaches its evaporation temperature, reducing the efficiency of the system. In the several embodiments of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump and method for the use thereof presented herein, each of the evaporator and the condenser is situated within a chamber having a working fluid such as water or an alcohol and water mix, in order to avoid freezing. The chamber containing the evaporator becomes, therefore, the cold fluid chamber, and the chamber containing the condenser becomes the hot fluid chamber.

In order raise the overall efficiency of the system when operating in a heating mode, the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump and method for the use thereof may use several methods to raise the fluid temperature of the cold fluid chamber containing the evaporator. This may be accomplished using waste heat, such as heat rejected by electronic and electro-mechanical components of the full electric or hybrid electric vehicle, for non-limiting example heat rejected by the electric drive motor and/or its power electronics. The system and method may further increase operating efficiency by raising the fluid temperature of the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir using heated fluid stored in an insulated fluid reservoir. The fluid stored in the insulated fluid reservoir may be preheated in a preconditioning operation while the vehicle is plugged into shore power. Alternately, the fluid stored in the insulated fluid reservoir may even be heated using the vehicle on-board source of electricity. In each case, the resulting climate control system will deliver a higher COP than a conventional air sourced heat pump or by vehicle interior heating using conventional electrical resistance heaters. This results in less energy needed for heating and cooling operations, and mitigates driving range reduction often resulting from HVAC system operation.

For example, COP decreases linearly with decreasing temperature, so that a baseline COP may be 4.2 at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and may be 1.0 at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Under an ambient condition of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, an air sourced heat pump may have a COP of 2.8. For a 40,000 BTU/Hr (11.71 Kw) delivered capacity heat pump at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, at 40 degrees Fahrenheit the delivered capacity becomes 26,667 BTU/Hr and the power input is 2.79 Kw. If the compressor capacity is increased to bring the delivered output to 40,000 BTU/Hr at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then the system electrical input must be increased to 4.19 Kw. However, if supplemental heat is added to the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, the total electrical input becomes 3.72 Kw and the COP of the system becomes 3.16. Consequently, for 40,000 BTU/Hr delivered under these conditions, the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump uses 2S% less energy.

Furthermore, under an ambient condition of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the system COP of an air sourced heat pump decreases to 1.87 requiring a power input of 2.78 Kw. To maintain 40,000 BTU/Hr at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the compressor input of an air sourced heat pump must be increased to 6.25 Kw. However, if supplemental heat is added to the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir of the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, the total electrical input becomes 4.92 KW and the resulting system COP becomes 2.38. Consequently, for 40,000 BTU/Hr delivered under these conditions, the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump uses 21% less energy.

The Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump is further capable of preconditioning the vehicle cabin interior and defrosting vehicle windows under cold weather conditions using a PTC heater and an insulated fluid reservoir. This preconditioning involves adding heat to the insulated fluid reservoir via the PTC heater, which draws its power from a shore power source, and helps to raise the COP of the system. When the vehicle is disconnected from utility power, heated fluid stored in the insulated fluid reservoir is pumped to the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir, in order to maintain the increased COP of the system. Preconditioning by using shore power to heat the working fluid in the insulated cold fluid reservoir helps to maintain a reasonable cabin temperature in advance of vehicle operation, and avoids high energy usage during initial cabin heating during cold ambient conditions.

The fluid stored in the insulated fluid reservoir, as well as the fluid stored in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir, may further be precooled in the preconditioning operation while the vehicle is plugged into shore power under hot weather conditions. In this preconditioning operation, outside air and cabin air temperatures may be measured, and if a specified differential temperature is exceeded, an HVAC recirculation system may operate to remove hot air from the vehicle interior, in exchange for cooler air taken from thee exterior environment. The recirculation fans of the HVAC recirculation system may be powered by variable speed motors, so that power used by the recirculation fans may be controlled to avoid excessive battery discharge over a given time period. For example, the power to be used by the recirculation fans may be set to correspond to a 20% discharge of the drive train battery unit over six hours of operation, thereby insuring that the vehicle battery system will retain enough charge to start the vehicle engine, if applicable.

When the vehicle is subsequently operated with air conditioning active, the precooled fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir, as well as the precooled fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir, is utilized by the vehicle interior cooling module in initially cooling the interior of the vehicle cabin. This further avoids high energy usage during initial cabin cooling, or “pull down,” during high temperature ambient conditions upon initial vehicle start-up. Specifically, storing and utilizing precooled fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir and in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir reduces electrical power demand from the drive train battery unit, since the cold fluid is capable of absorbing approximately one BTU per pound degree Fahrenheit. Additionally, the precooled fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir and in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir may be further utilized to control the temperatures of drive train traction motors, drive train power electronics, and/or the drive train battery unit.

Preconditioning may take place automatically whenever the vehicle is plugged in to shore power, or may be initiated by the driver, for example by the driver using a remote device such as a remote fob or cell phone to call for the vehicle to be ready to operate at a given time of day. Preconditioning in fleet vehicles, such as school transportation vehicles, may be initiated by a timer. In either case, as a non-limiting example, the vehicle system controller would then calculate the BTUs that should be added or removed from the cabin in order to obtain a temperature and humidity condition that is within the comfort zone of the driver at the specified time. Similarly, the drivetrain battery unit may be heated or cooled as necessary. For example, lithium ion batteries lose operational capacity at low temperatures, so that preheating is appropriate under low ambient temperature conditions. Depending upon ambient temperatures, battery precooling may be appropriate in anticipation of temperature control during upcoming high demand operation under high ambient temperature conditions.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a graphical representation of the primary components of an embodiment of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump is shown. A full electric or hybrid electric vehicle (not shown) includes a climate control system 10 using a heat pump 50. The heat pump 50 includes a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) heat pump refrigerant compressor 200, a condenser heat exchanger 302, an expansion valve 104, and an evaporator heat exchanger 102. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may be configured to provide variable speed and/or variable capacity functionality. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 discharges compressed gaseous refrigerant to the condenser heat exchanger 302 by way of a refrigerant discharge line 208. The compressed gaseous refrigerant condenses and rejects heat to the working fluid in a hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 using the condenser heat exchanger 302, and then proceeds to the expansion valve 104 by way of the refrigerant liquid line 210. After passing through the expansion valve 104, the refrigerant boils and absorbs heat from the working fluid in a cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 using the evaporator heat exchanger 102, before returning to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 by way of the refrigerant suction line 206.

An insulated fluid reservoir 400 is in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by way of an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber line 402 and a cold fluid chamber line to insulated fluid reservoir return line 406. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 using an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404. Similarly, the insulated fluid reservoir 400 may be in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber line 410 and a hot fluid chamber line to insulated fluid reservoir return line 414. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 using an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412.

Working fluid within the insulated fluid reservoir 400 may be selectively heated by an insulated fluid reservoir Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater 612. The insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is connected to a shore power source 600 by way of a shore power line 602 having a shore power contactor 604. When the shore power contactor 604 is closed, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 draws power from the shore power source 600, and when the shore power contactor 604 is open, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is isolated from the shore power source 600. The insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is also connected to a drive train battery unit 608 by way of a drive train battery line 616 having a drive train battery contactor 610. When the drive train battery contactor 610 is closed, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 draws power from the drive train battery unit 608, and when the drive train battery contactor 610 is open, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is isolated from the drive train battery unit 608. A charging system 606 selectively connects the drive train battery unit 608 to the shore power source 600 as needed for recharging.

At least one cabin heat exchanger 310 is in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger line 306 and at least one cabin heat exchanger to hot fluid chamber return line 312. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 using at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308. Similarly, at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 is in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater line 314 and at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater to hot fluid chamber return line 320. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 using a hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316. The use of at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318, which may be a combination heat exchanger and electrical resistance heater, may allow the vehicle to comply with windshield defrosting requirements, while still enabling the selection of a VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 sized for maximum efficiency.

At least one outside heat exchanger 326 is also in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger line 322 and at least one outside heat exchanger to hot fluid chamber return line 328. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one outside heat exchanger 326 using a hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324. Similarly, at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 may be in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by way of at least one cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules line 108 and at least one vehicle interior cooling modules to cold fluid chamber return line 112. Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 using a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110.

The climate control system 10, which is illustrated in FIG. 1 in its basic form, is capable of providing cabin heating by operating the at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 to deliver hot fluid to the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 and to the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318, respectively, while the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 is not operating. The climate control system 10 is further capable of providing cabin cooling by operating the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 and the at least one outside heat exchanger 326, while the at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 are not operating. The insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may in this case remain inactive. The cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110 and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 then deliver cooling to the cabin interior. In these basic heating or cooling modes of operation, the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 are not used.

Each of the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200, the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404, the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412, the shore power contactor 604, the drive train battery contactor 610, the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110, the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308, the hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316, and the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 are controlled directly or indirectly by a system controller 12. The system controller 12 is connected to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 by way of a compressor VFD control output 16, which is connected to a refrigerant compressor VFD control input 204 of a refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202, which is in turn connected to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200. The refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202 also receives power from the drive train battery unit 608 by way of a battery output to refrigerant compressor 614, which is connected to the refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202 by way of a refrigerant compressor battery input 212.

The system controller 12 is connected to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404, to the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110, to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308, to the hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316, and to the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 by way of pump control outputs 20. The system controller 12 is connected to the shore power contactor 604 and to the drive train battery contactor 610 by way of contactor outputs 18. In order to properly manage the climate control system 10, the system controller 12 is further provided with temperature inputs 14 and solenoid valve outputs 22, the purpose and operation of which will be explained in further detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the climate control system 10 is configured for preconditioning under low ambient temperatures. The shore power contactor 604 is closed and the drive train battery contactor 610 is open, so that the working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 is being heated by the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 using electrical power from the shore power source 600. The insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may be active, circulating working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100, thereby increasing the temperature of the evaporator heat exchanger 102 and raising the COP of the heat pump 50. During the preconditioning operation, the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may be running, thereby pumping heat from the evaporator heat exchanger 102 to the condenser heat exchanger 302, cooling the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and heating the working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300.

Alternately, because efficiency may not be as high of a concern during preconditioning, the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 may be active, circulating working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 directly. In either case, the at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and/or the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 may be active, using the heated working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 passing through the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 and/or through the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 to heat the interior of the vehicle and/or to defrost the vehicle windows. The cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110 and the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 remain inactive.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 through 5, graphical representations of embodiments of a Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump are shown. A full electric or hybrid electric vehicle (not shown) again includes a climate control system 10 using a heat pump 50. The heat pump 50 again includes a VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200, a condenser heat exchanger 302, an expansion valve 104, and an evaporator heat exchanger 102. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 again discharges compressed gaseous refrigerant to the condenser heat exchanger 302 by way of a refrigerant discharge line 208. The compressed gaseous refrigerant again condenses and rejects heat to the working fluid in a hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 using the condenser heat exchanger 302, and then proceeds to the expansion valve 104 by way of the refrigerant liquid line 210. After passing through the expansion valve 104, the refrigerant again boils and absorbs heat from the working fluid in a cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 using the evaporator heat exchanger 102, before returning to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 by way of the refrigerant suction line 206.

An insulated fluid reservoir 400 is again in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by way of an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber line 402 and a cold fluid chamber line to insulated fluid reservoir return line 406. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 using an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404. The insulated fluid reservoir is again in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber line 410 and a hot fluid chamber line to insulated fluid reservoir return line 414. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 using an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412.

Working fluid within the insulated fluid reservoir 400 may again be selectively heated by an insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612. The insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is again connected to a shore power source 600 by way of a shore power line 602 having a shore power contactor 604. As before, when the shore power contactor 604 is closed, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 draws power from the shore power source 600, and when the shore power contactor 604 is open, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is isolated from the shore power source 600. The insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is again also connected to a drive train battery unit 608 by way of a drive train battery line 616 having a drive train battery contactor 610. As before, when the drive train battery contactor 610 is closed, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 draws power from the drive train battery unit 608, and when the drive train battery contactor 610 is open, the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is isolated from the drive train battery unit 608. A charging system 606 again selectively connects the drive train battery unit 608 to the shore power source 600 as needed for recharging.

At least one cabin heat exchanger 310 is again in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger line 306 and at least one cabin heat exchanger to hot fluid chamber return line 312. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 using a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308. As before, at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 is in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater line 314 and at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater to hot fluid chamber return line 320. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 using a hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316.

At least one outside heat exchanger 326 is again in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of at least one hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger line 322 and at least one outside heat exchanger to hot fluid chamber return line 328. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the at least one outside heat exchanger 326 using a hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324. As before, at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 is in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by way of at least one cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules line 108 and at least one vehicle interior cooling modules to cold fluid chamber return line 112. Working fluid may again be selectively circulated between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 using a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110.

The full electric or hybrid electric vehicle (not shown) includes an electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics (not shown), which is heated and/or cooled using a liquid cooled heat sink 502. Another similar liquid cooled heat sink (not shown) may function to heat and/or cool the drivetrain battery unit 608. Such cooling of the electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics using the liquid cooled heat sink 502 may be required, as the net efficiency of the electric drive motor 500 and its associated power electronics may be in the range of ninety percent under a wide range of ambient conditions. The liquid cooled heat sink 502 is in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by way of a heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber line 514 and a cold fluid chamber to heat sink return line 518. The liquid cooled heat sink 502 is also in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by way of a heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber line 508 and a hot fluid chamber to heat sink return line 512.

Working fluid may be selectively circulated between the liquid cooled heat sink 502 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 by opening a heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 and using a liquid cooled heat sink pump 506. Working fluid may also be selectively circulated between the liquid cooled heat sink 502 and the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 by opening a heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 and using the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506. The liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may be variable capacity, or may be operated in an on-off mode. If present, the liquid cooled heat sink (not shown) that functions to heat and/or cool the drivetrain battery unit 608 may similarly be provided with a pump and fluid circuits connecting it to the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and/or the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300. The pump circulating working fluid from the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 to the liquid cooled heat sink that functions to heat and/or cool the drivetrain battery unit 608 may be a positive displacement pump, and may be capable of circulating fluid at a controlled rate, in order to control the rate of heat transfer from the drivetrain battery unit 608.

Each of the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200, the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404, the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412, the shore power contactor 604, the drive train battery contactor 610, the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110, the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308, the hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316, the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324, the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506, the heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510, and the heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 are again controlled directly or indirectly by a system controller 12. The system controller 12 is again connected to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 by way of a compressor VFD control output 16, which is again connected to a refrigerant compressor VFD control input 204 of a refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202, which is in turn connected to the VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200. The refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202 again receives power from the drive train battery unit 608 by way of a battery output to refrigerant compressor 614, which is connected to the refrigerant compressor variable frequency drive control 202 by way of a refrigerant compressor battery input 212.

The system controller 12 is again connected to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404, to the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110, to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308, to the hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316, to the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324, and to the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 by way of pump control outputs 20. Alternately, the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may utilize a closed loop control, in order to separately maintain the liquid cooled heat sink 502 and the electric drive motor 500 and associated electronics in a temperature range calculated to result in optimum efficiency of the electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics. The system controller 12 is again connected to the shore power contactor 604 and to the drive train battery contactor 610 by way of contactor outputs 18. The system controller 12 is connected to the heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 and to the heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 by way of solenoid valve outputs 22. In order to properly manage the climate control system 10, the system controller 12 is again provided with temperature inputs 14 that are connected to a cold fluid chamber temperature sensor 106, to a hot fluid chamber temperature sensor 304, to an insulated fluid reservoir temperature sensor 408, and to a liquid cooled heat sink temperature sensor 504.

As shown in FIG. 2, the climate control system 10 is again configured for preconditioning under low ambient temperatures. In this mode, the climate control system brings and maintains the vehicle cabin at a comfortable temperature level prior to operation, along with providing a defrost/defog function. The shore power contactor 604 is closed and the drive train battery contactor 610 is open, so that the working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 is being heated by the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 using electrical power from the shore power source 600. The insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may be active, circulating working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100, thereby increasing the temperature of the evaporator heat exchanger 102 and raising the COP of the heat pump 50 and maintaining the COP at a constant level when in the heating mode. For example, if the COP of the climate control system 10 is 2.5 with an ambient temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit, then sufficient heat may be added to the insulated fluid reservoir 400 via the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 to maintain the fluid temperature in the insulated fluid reservoir 400, thereby maintaining the COP at this constant level.

The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may be running, thereby pumping heat from the evaporator heat exchanger 102 to the condenser heat exchanger 302, cooling the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and heating the working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300. By warming the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 with heated working fluid from the insulated fluid reservoir 400, boiling of refrigerant in the evaporator heat exchanger 102 is increased, and the heat pump 50 of the climate control system 10 maintains a COP of greater than one, despite the fact that the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 itself only has a COP of one.

The at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and/or the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 may be active, using the heated working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 passing through the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 and/or through the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 to heat the interior of the vehicle and/or to defrost the vehicle windows. Additionally, the heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 may be open and the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may be active, thereby circulating working fluid between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the liquid cooled heat sink 502, and preheating the electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics. In this way, the electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics are maintained within a temperature range that assures best efficiency when the power train begins to operate. This preconditioning operation may also include circulating working fluid between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the drive train battery unit 608 in order to raise the drive train battery unit 608 to a temperature suited for efficient operation under cold ambient temperature conditions.

The heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 may remain closed, the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 may remain inactive, and the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 may remain inactive. Overall, the climate control system 10 exhibits a much higher energy efficiency than that of an electric heater alone, and avoids the decrease in COP often associated with an air sourced heat pump operating in cold ambient temperatures, which typically need to be supplemented directly using PTC based electric heat.

As shown in FIG. 3, the climate control system 10 is again configured for preconditioning, this time under high ambient temperatures. Both of the shore power contactor 604 and the drive train battery contactor 610 are open, and the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is inactive. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may be running, thereby pumping heat from the evaporator heat exchanger 102 to the condenser heat exchanger 302, cooling the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and heating the working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300. The cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110 may be active, using the cooled working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 passing through the at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 to cool the interior of the vehicle. The at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 are inactive. The hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 is active, however, so that the at least one outside heat exchanger 326 rejects heat from the working fluid of the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 to ambient.

The insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may be active, thereby circulating working fluid between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the insulated fluid reservoir 400, for the purpose of storing cooled working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 for later use during operation. The insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 remains inactive. Additionally, the heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 is open and the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may be active, thereby circulating working fluid between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the liquid cooled heat sink 502, and precooling the electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics. The heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 remains closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the climate control system 10 is now configured for use with the vehicle drivetrain operating under high ambient temperatures. Both of the shore power contactor 604 and the drive train battery contactor 610 are again open, and the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is inactive. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may again be running, thereby pumping heat from the evaporator heat exchanger 102 to the condenser heat exchanger 302, cooling the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and heating the working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300. The cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110 may again be active, using the cooled working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 passing through the at least one vehicle interior cooling module 114 to cool the interior of the vehicle. The at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 are inactive. The hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 is again active so that the at least one outside heat exchanger 326 rejects heat from the working fluid of the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 to ambient.

The insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 may be active and the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 inactive, thereby circulating working fluid between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the insulated fluid reservoir 400, now for the purpose of using the cooled working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 previously stored for later use during operation as an additional heat sink. This arrangement lowers the pressure of the refrigerant in the condenser, and increases the efficiency or COP of the heat pump 50. Alternately, the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may be active and the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 inactive, thereby circulating working fluid between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the insulated fluid reservoir 400, now for the purpose of using the cooled working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 previously stored for later use during operation to further cool the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100. This arrangement reduces the boiling of the refrigerant in the evaporator, and also increases the efficiency or COP of the heat pump 50 when in the cooling mode. The system and method may further choose whether to circulate working fluid between the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 and the insulated fluid reservoir 400, or between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the insulated fluid reservoir 400, depending on the present temperature of the working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400. In either arrangement, the increased efficiency of the heat pump 50 reduces overall power consumption of the climate control system 10 and helps to preserve the state of charge of the drive train battery unit 608.

The heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 may be open and the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may be active, thereby circulating working fluid between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the liquid cooled heat sink 502, and cooling the operating electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics. Consequently, the operating electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics are maintained within a temperature range that assures best efficiency. The heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 remains closed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the climate control system 10 is now configured for use with the vehicle drivetrain operating under low ambient temperatures. The shore power contactor 604 is open, but the drive train battery contactor 610 is closed and the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 is active, supplying supplemental heat to the working fluid in the insulated fluid reservoir 400 using energy from the drive train battery unit 608. The insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump 404 may be active, circulating working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir 400 and the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100, thereby increasing the temperature of the evaporator heat exchanger 102 and raising the COP of the heat pump 50 when in the heating mode. The insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump 412 remains inactive. The VFD heat pump refrigerant compressor 200 may again be running, thereby pumping heat from the evaporator heat exchanger 102 to the condenser heat exchanger 302, cooling the working fluid in the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and heating the working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300. As before, by warming the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 with heated working fluid from the insulated fluid reservoir 400, boiling of refrigerant in the evaporator heat exchanger 102 is increased, and the heat pump 50 of the climate control system 10 maintains a COP of greater than one, despite the fact that the insulated fluid reservoir PTC heater 612 itself only has a COP of one. The increased efficiency of the heat pump 50 again reduces overall power consumption of the climate control system 10 and helps to preserve the state of charge of the drive train battery unit 608.

The at least one hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump 308 and/or the at least one hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump 316 may be active, using the heated working fluid in the hot fluid chamber or condenser reservoir 300 passing through the at least one cabin heat exchanger 310 and/or through the at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater 318 to heat the interior of the vehicle and/or to defrost the vehicle windows. The cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump 110 and the hot fluid chamber to outside heat exchanger pump 324 remain inactive. The heat sink pump to cold fluid chamber control valve 516 may be open and the liquid cooled heat sink pump 506 may be active, thereby circulating working fluid between the cold fluid chamber or evaporator reservoir 100 and the liquid cooled heat sink 502, now for the purpose of recouping heat from the operating electric drive motor 500 and associated power electronics. This helps to further raise the temperature of the evaporator heat exchanger 102 and raise the COP of the heat pump 50 when in the heating mode. The heat sink pump to hot fluid chamber control valve 510 remains closed.

While the Vehicle Climate Control System Utilizing a Heat Pump, and methods for the use thereof, has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the system and method can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as demonstrated previously. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the system and method using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the disclosure pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electric or hybrid electric vehicle having a climate control system, comprising:

a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger;

the condenser heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber;

the evaporator heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber; and

an insulated fluid reservoir selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber, the insulated fluid reservoir having a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater selectively powered by at least one of a drivetrain battery unit and a shore power source.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the insulated fluid reservoir is further selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the hot fluid chamber is selectively in fluid communication with at least one of: at least one cabin heat exchanger, at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater, and at least one ambient air heat exchanger.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the cold fluid chamber is selectively in fluid communication with at least one vehicle interior cooling module.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with at least one of the cold fluid chamber and the hot fluid chamber, the liquid cooled heat sink being connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a shore power contactor operable to selectively connect the PTC heater to the shore power source;

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the hot fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle, power electronics connected to the electric drive motor, and a drivetrain battery unit;

a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and at least one cabin heat exchanger; and

a control system connected to the shore power contactor, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, to the control valves, to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, and to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, the control system being configured to: selectively precondition the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be added to a cabin of the vehicle, connecting the PTC heater to the shore power source using the shore power contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber; and selectively precondition the climate control system one of: automatically whenever the vehicle is plugged into the shore power source, using a preset timer, and upon initiation by an operator using a remote device.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

at least one vehicle interior cooling module selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber;

a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump operable to pump working fluid between the cold fluid chamber and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module;

an ambient air heat exchanger selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber;

a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and the ambient air heat exchanger;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle, power electronics connected to the electric drive motor, and a drivetrain battery unit; and

a control system connected to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, to the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, to the control valves, and to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, the control system being configured to: selectively precondition the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be removed from a cabin of the vehicle, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber; and selectively precondition the climate control system one of: automatically whenever the vehicle is plugged into the shore power source, using a preset timer, and upon initiation by an operator using a remote device.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a drive train battery contactor operable to selectively connect the PTC heater to the drive train battery unit;

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor;

a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and at least one cabin heat exchanger; and

a control system connected to the drive train battery contactor, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, to the control valves, to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, and to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, the control system being configured to: selectively operate the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by connecting the PTC heater to the drive train battery unit using the drive train battery contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the hot fluid chamber;

at least one vehicle interior cooling module selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber;

a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump operable to pump working fluid between the cold fluid chamber and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module;

an ambient air heat exchanger selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber;

a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and the ambient air heat exchanger;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor; and

a control system connected to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, to the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, to the control valves, and to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, the control system being configured to: selectively operate the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by activating the refrigerant compressor, activating one of the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump and the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber.

10. A climate control system of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, comprising:

a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger;

the condenser heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber;

the evaporator heat exchanger exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber; and

an insulated fluid reservoir selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber, the insulated fluid reservoir having a PTC heater selectively powered by at least one of a drivetrain battery unit and a shore power source.

11. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein:

the insulated fluid reservoir is further selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber.

12. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein:

the hot fluid chamber is selectively in fluid communication with at least one of: at least one cabin heat exchanger, at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater, and at least one ambient air heat exchanger.

13. The climate control system of claim 10, wherein:

the cold fluid chamber is selectively in fluid communication with at least one vehicle interior cooling module.

14. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising:

a liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with at least one of the cold fluid chamber and the hot fluid chamber, the liquid cooled heat sink being connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor.

15. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising:

a shore power contactor operable to selectively connect the PTC heater to the shore power source;

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the hot fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor;

a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and at least one cabin heat exchanger; and

a control system connected to the shore power contactor, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, to the control valves, to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, and to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, the control system being configured to: selectively precondition the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be added to a cabin of the vehicle, connecting the PTC heater to the shore power source using the shore power contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber; and selectively precondition the climate control system one of: automatically whenever the vehicle is plugged into the shore power source, using a preset timer, and upon initiation by an operator using a remote device.

16. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising:

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

at least one vehicle interior cooling module selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber;

a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump operable to pump working fluid between the cold fluid chamber and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module;

an ambient air heat exchanger selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber;

a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and the ambient air heat exchanger;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor; and

a control system connected to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, to the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, to the control valves, and to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, the control system being configured to: selectively precondition the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be removed from a cabin of the vehicle, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber; and selectively precondition the climate control system one of: automatically whenever the vehicle is plugged into the shore power source, using a preset timer, and upon initiation by an operator using a remote device.

17. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising:

a drive train battery contactor operable to selectively connect the PTC heater to the drive train battery unit;

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor;

a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and at least one cabin heat exchanger; and

a control system connected to the drive train battery contactor, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, to the control valves, to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, and to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, the control system being configured to: selectively operate the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by connecting the PTC heater to the drive train battery unit using the drive train battery contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber.

18. The climate control system of claim 10, further comprising:

an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the cold fluid chamber;

an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump operable to pump working fluid between the insulated fluid reservoir and the hot fluid chamber;

at least one vehicle interior cooling module selectively in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber;

a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump operable to pump working fluid between the cold fluid chamber and the at least one vehicle interior cooling module;

an ambient air heat exchanger selectively in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber;

a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump operable to pump working fluid between the hot fluid chamber and the ambient air heat exchanger;

a liquid cooled heat sink pump operable to pump working fluid by way of control valves between the cold fluid chamber and a liquid cooled heat sink connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor; and

a control system connected to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, to the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, to the control valves, and to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, the control system being configured to: selectively operate the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by activating the refrigerant compressor, activating one of the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump and the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber.

19. A method of providing climate control in an occupant compartment of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a heat pump having a refrigerant compressor, a condenser heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an evaporator heat exchanger;

exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a hot fluid chamber by way of the condenser heat exchanger;

exchanging heat between refrigerant and working fluid within a cold fluid chamber by way of the evaporator heat exchanger;

selectively placing an insulated fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber using an insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump;

selectively placing the insulated fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber using an insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump;

selectively heating working fluid within the insulated fluid reservoir using a PTC heater by selectively powering the PTC heater from at least one of a drivetrain battery unit by way of a drive train battery connector and from a shore power source by way of a shore power contactor;

Selectively placing the hot fluid chamber in fluid communication with at least one of: at least one cabin heat exchanger using a hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, at least one defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater using a hot fluid chamber to defrost/defog combination fluid heat exchanger PTC heater pump, and at least one ambient air heat exchanger using a hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump;

selectively placing the cold fluid chamber in fluid communication with at least one vehicle interior cooling module using a cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump; and

selectively placing a liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with at least one of the cold fluid chamber and the hot fluid chamber using a liquid cooled heat sink pump and at least one control valve, the liquid cooled heat sink being connected to at least one of an electric drive motor of the vehicle and power electronics connected to the electric drive motor.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

a control system connected to the refrigerant compressor of the heat pump, to the shore power contactor, to the drive train battery contactor, to the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, to the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, to the liquid cooled heat sink pump, to the control valves, to the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, to the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, to the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, the control system being configured to selectively at least one of: precondition the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be added to a cabin of the vehicle, connecting the PTC heater to the shore power source using the shore power contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the hot fluid chamber; precondition the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions by calculating a quantity of BTUs to be removed from a cabin of the vehicle, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber; operate the climate control system under low ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by connecting the PTC heater to the drive train battery unit using the drive train battery contactor, activating the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump, activating the refrigerant compressor, activating the hot fluid chamber to cabin heat exchanger pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber; and operate the climate control system under high ambient temperature conditions with the vehicle operating by activating the refrigerant compressor, activating one of the insulated fluid reservoir to cold fluid chamber pump and the insulated fluid reservoir to hot fluid chamber pump, activating the hot fluid chamber to ambient air heat exchanger pump, activating the cold fluid chamber to vehicle interior cooling modules pump, activating the liquid cooled heat sink pump, and configuring the control valves to place the liquid cooled heat sink in fluid communication with the cold fluid chamber.