2025 Mach-E Heat Pump Technical Info

[Jimrpa]

People are different. For some it’s a higher priority to keep both the people and the battery sufficient warm (which is a issue in northern countries), for others it’s extra space in the front for bits and bobs. Also, it’s a reduction in size of the frunk, not removal.

I live in southeastern PA. This past winter was a bit colder than normal, yet the car was always able to keep the cabin at a comfy 76, and the range did not suffer anything more than the usual winter drop.

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[Mache_Nor]

I live in southeastern PA. This past winter was a bit colder than normal, yet the car was always able to keep the cabin at a comfy 76, and the range did not suffer anything more than the usual winter drop.

That’s the thing, here it can easily be -10 to -20 celcius (10 - 5 Fahrenheit) quite often, and even with precondition the car suddenly use 40ish % of the energy just to heat the car to somewhat “not warm” :/

 

[lightnin]

All this is very interesting. I had a 2021 Mach-E and definitely noticed the winter range degradation. (I live in NE Tennessee.)

But how do you engage the heat pump on the 2025 Mach-E? If "heat" is on in the HVAC display, does that mean the car will intelligently run the heat pump / resistance heat? (There is still a disclaimer on the display that running the heat reduces range.)

 

[enhost]

In a Tesla you just raise the temp and the compressor hums along and you don't notice. I would think that it would be the same in the Mach e. The same for the battery when car is parked and needs cooling/heating. By logic I would say the range is not affected by it, since it is running the same ac, but in a reverse cycle. Let's wait for someone withbreal life experience on the mach-e with hp steps in and comment.

 

[E90alex]

The heat pump will be running whenever something needs to be heated or cooled.

The backup PTC heater should only kick on as needed in very cold temps where the heat pump is less efficient or not enough.

But there hasn’t been any 2025 Mach-Es that have gone through winter yet so we will have to wait and see.

 

[vd238]

Great writeup on the heat pump! Compared to the 2024s, is the only new component on the coolant-side the WCC? In other words they added a handful of new valves to control refrigerant & manage the new “vapor injection” compressor, but ultimately it just dumps heat into the WCC and then the coolant flows like it did before?

Anyway I have no complaints about the heating in the 2025 Standard Range I just bought. I don’t have an old model to compare to, but it heats up well even in the frigid temps MA has been experiencing (0-10F).

 

[enhost]

Great writeup on the heat pump! Compared to the 2024s, is the only new component on the coolant-side the WCC? In other words they added a handful of new valves to control refrigerant & manage the new “vapor injection” compressor, but ultimately it just dumps heat into the WCC and then the coolant flows like it did before?

Anyway I have no complaints about the heating in the 2025 Standard Range I just bought. I don’t have an old model to compare to, but it heats up well even in the frigid temps MA has been experiencing (0-10F).

Then I guess it works great in winter. Mine is a 2023 and the cool temps penalty is huge. "Luckily" I live in FL, but the 2025- 2026 winter has been way colder than usual down here. I can see how the cold winter greatly affects range on our older models.

 

[RWG]

Regarding heat pumps, I am a retired HVAC tech and product manager. A heat pump is really just an AC unit in reverse when it is heating. In reality a heat pump is just an AC system with more parts and technology. When an AC system is cooling it is just taking heat from inside of the car and putting outside via the condenser. When the heat pump is operating in the heat mode it is taking heat from outside air and putting it inside the car. The big issue with heat pumps is, when it gets cold enough outside, there isn't enough heat in the air outside for the heat pump to operate efficiently. When that happens the system just switches over to resistance heat. So the heat pump has a point of "diminishing returns" or a "floor temp." However I have never seen Ford or any other manufacture publish the floor temp, I would guess it's around 20 degrees ambient. It used to be higher ambient temp with heat pumps but the technology is better and the system is more complicated. Service requires a tech with specialized training and specialized tools.

We have had 2 Mach Es, up here it the frozen Tundra of Minnesota, we had a 2021 premium and now a 2025 premium. As far as heating performance goes, we notice no difference. Whatever we set the t-stat at we get. I just know that the Sync computer readout said that in extreme cold temps as much as 40% of the battery power was consumed to heat the cabin. When outside temps are in the 30s or higher I am sure it is a very efficient heater but we have had a lot of subzero days this year and when it gets cold enough the heat pump adds nothing and it automatically switches to electrical resistance heat. To me the Ford heat pump system is just extra weight and cost, if it needs service. However I sense our 2025 doesn't have as good of range as the 2021 did. I didn't keep any statistical records so that is just an opinion.

This is not my first experience with heat pumps. We had one in our house when we lived in Richmond Va. Back then, in mid winter, when the heat pump was running the air temps coming out of the vents was not as hot as a furnace system in Minnesota. But you could tell when the resistance heaters kicked in when ambient temps got to cold. So I am suspect about some of the comments from others about improved heating performance they can notice. To me, I notice no difference from 2021 TO 2025. The company I worked for made all types of refrigeration systems ( including reverse cycle systems AKA heat pumps.) I can assure all that at a 70s ,80s or 90s trained HVAC techs would be clueless when working on a modern heat pump, unless specifically trained and had specialized tools. To work on modern Mach E Heat Pumps you need to understand CPU based diagnostics, how it all integrates with the car computer operating system and none of your standard refrigeration tools can be used with the new refrigerants.

Regarding the frunk, yes the 2025 is smaller than the 2021. I would estimate about 50%. But it makes no difference to us. The frunk gets used to store the remote charger and cables, it all fits just fine.

In summary our 2025 has a heat pump the 2021 did not. The 2025 has a little bit less range but internal heating performance seems the same and the frunk is smaller. In my opinion Ford added cost, weight and complexity with addition of the heat pump but for Minnesota owners there is no noticeable benefit. Most of the EV owners do not live in the northern USA so they designed the car to maximize the major, high density markets. I understand.

PS: 2 years ago we went to Norway, there were EVs everywhere and the charger network was highly advanced. Ironically while we were there an EV news flash came out stating that Norway was the first country were EVs had hit 50% of all cars sold in the country. I suspect that the EV market is still strong. Norway is not endorsing the anti EV rhetoric of the current USA administration and contrary to popular beliefs most of Norway is not as cold as Minnesota. You have to go way up north to experience the same crappy weather we get every year in Minnesota and central Canada, so I suspect heat pumps are welcomed and appreciated.

 

[ChuckUK]

I agree looks like a service nightmare.

No pictures of the redesigned frunk though. I'd like to see how much space is lost. We never got around to fully utilizing the space. We mostly use ours to bring take-out back our house and ice as a gimmick.

I use mine for muddy walking boots and collecting road kill pheasants. Sticking them in the boot with the dog is not a good option.

 

[vd238]

contrary to popular beliefs most of Norway is not as cold as Minnesota. You have to go way up north to experience the same crappy weather we get every year in Minnesota and central Canada, so I suspect heat pumps are welcomed and appreciated.

It would be nice if Ford (or others) made heat pumps an option, but maybe that is logistically too difficult.

I haven't found many direct range comparisons, but I thought this comment on Reddit was insightful:
"All of these are: 30 mi mostly highway commute, 70+ mph, moderate/no traffic, cold weather commutes (around 32F)
'21 without preconditioning: 2.0-2.2 mi/kWh
'21 with preconditioning: 2.6-2.7 mi/kWh
'25 no preconditioning: 2.5-2.7 mi/kWh
'25 with preconditioning: 2.8-2.9 mi/kWh
... The heat pump seems to be much more efficient at maintaining cabin temp - so the longer you drive the more you're gaining back from that change."
Reddit source

As an aside, I noticed the Heat button in my 2025 still has this explanation. Maybe they should update it to mention the heat pump. Something like "Cabin heating is provided by a combination of the heat pump and the electric heater."

 

[SanCarlosJeff]

I use mine for muddy walking boots and collecting road kill pheasants. Sticking them in the boot with the dog is not a good option.

I bet your dog thinks it would be a great option.

 

[ChehRob]

There are highly efficient diesel heaters for small boats. They are compact. They could make sense for heating vehicles in very cold weather climates. There are lots of BTUs in a gallon of diesel.

 

[RWG]

A gallon 0f gasoline has roughly 35 KW of energy, diesel is about 15% more. In an ICE vehicle roughly 50% of the gasoline energy is rejected as heat loss via, radiator, exhaust and surface heat rejection of the engine parts. So there is lots of heat available to heat the cabin. All EVs face the same physics problem, " the only source of heat is battery power". And that is from resistance heat or the electric powered heat pump. However Heat Pumps are only efficient in mild temperatures.

I have read that modern heat pumps work OK in sub zero temps. I am not convinced. My 2021 without a heat pump had more range than my 2025 does with a heat pump.

 

[Jimrpa]

It would be nice if Ford (or others) made heat pumps an option, but maybe that is logistically too difficult.

I haven't found many direct range comparisons, but I thought this comment on Reddit was insightful:
"All of these are: 30 mi mostly highway commute, 70+ mph, moderate/no traffic, cold weather commutes (around 32F)
'21 without preconditioning: 2.0-2.2 mi/kWh
'21 with preconditioning: 2.6-2.7 mi/kWh
'25 no preconditioning: 2.5-2.7 mi/kWh
'25 with preconditioning: 2.8-2.9 mi/kWh
... The heat pump seems to be much more efficient at maintaining cabin temp - so the longer you drive the more you're gaining back from that change."
Reddit source

As an aside, I noticed the Heat button in my 2025 still has this explanation. Maybe they should update it to mention the heat pump. Something like "Cabin heating is provided by a combination of the heat pump and the electric heater."

I’ve never seen that dialog. And I keep my cabin at a comfortable 76-78F in the winter.

 

[vd238]

I’ve never seen that dialog. And I keep my cabin at a comfortable 76-78F in the winter.

It's from an info icon accessible in the climate settings menu.

To work on modern Mach E Heat Pumps you need to understand CPU based diagnostics, how it all integrates with the car computer operating system

One thought about the servicing for these: since the "Heat Pump Assembly" is a single integrated unit, I assume most technicians will just replace the whole thing if there is an issue. Sort of like how a failed motor inverter or DC-DC converter are probably just replaced instead of taken apart and repaired. So technicians might not be expected to understand heat pumps on that deep a level (such as trying to find which of the three expansion valves is bad)

Anyway I hooked up CarScanner and watched the power draw during startup. You can't read as many sensors on 2025+ models due to new "encryption" protocols on the CANBUS, but here's what I could gather.
Exterior temp 26F, climate set to 70.
Accessory mode (headlights off): ~0.32kw
Initial power draw: ~7kw for a few minutes, then slowly ramps down.
Steady state after about 10 minutes: ~1kw.

So I guess the heat pump draws around 0.7kw to maintain cabin heat? Not sure how that compares to PTC heater-only models.

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