HEAT PUMP WITH PARTIAL LOAD CONTROL

The invention relates to an apparatus for an electric or hybrid vehicle. The apparatus has a refrigerant circulation circuit including a compressor, a heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and a further heat exchanger, the compressor power being adjustable. The apparatus includes a heat accumulator thermally coupled to a high pressure region of a refrigerant circulation loop, and/or the apparatus comprises a regulation of the high pressure of a refrigerant in the high pressure region of the refrigerant circulation loop, wherein the regulation is designed to reduce the high pressure by an adjustable pressure value in the range of up to 50% of the design high pressure or within a sub-range of the design high pressure in relation to a pressure value of the non-reduced high pressure, and thepressure value of the high pressure of the refrigerant is higher than the evaporation pressure at 20 DEG C. The invention further relates to an electric or hybrid vehicle having such an apparatus andto a method for controlling such a device. By means of the apparatus, heating can be carried out even in partial load operation.