GM has announced that its current Ultium platform-based EVs come standard with an energy recovery system composed of a patented heat pump and technology that recovers waste heat from the vehicle as well as humidity from inside and outside the vehicle. 

Waste heat from batteries and power electronics, and humidity—including humidity from the body heat of passengers—is collected and stored by the system. According to GM, “the Ultium Platform can then deploy energy stored through the recovery process to heat the cabin more quickly in cold weather than comparable systems found in vehicles with an internal combustion engine.”

According to the company, the energy recovery system lowers energy demands on the battery from heating and other functions, “potentially allowing more power and range than vehicles with similarly sized batteries without energy recovery capabilities.” The system could also allow vehicles to charge more efficiently by warming up the batteries before charging.

Source: GM