Heater

[Abelgoddard]

I'm curious about the best way to heat the interior (me). I know from the very few times that I've run the heater that range takes a serious hit. My question is, would it make sense to run a small in-car heater off of the power point? My understanding is that the accessories, including the power point, run off of the 12V. So for my commute, where it's just me in the car, would a small heater that I can direct at my fingers or nose at times be a good idea? Or would it significantly have a negative impact on the 12V and/or the HVB?

 

[michael]

Unfortunately I wouldn't expect that to help. Ultimately all the energy comes from the main high voltage battery.

You can get 12 V electric blankets from Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc. Those use only about 20-30 Watts, not enough to impact range. They are quite inexpensive.

People also sell electrically heated jackets, etc. but that seems like overkill.

 

[jmueller065]

You can get 12 V electric blankets from Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc. Those use only about 20-30 Watts, not enough to impact range. They are quite inexpensive.

This is a very effective way to keep yourself warm. When its really cold one of my FFE driving coworkers does just this. He said between the blanket & the heated seats he gets very warm and only really needs the blanket when its subzero out.

 

[Abelgoddard]

Sold. I'm ordering a blanket right now.

 

[jmueller065]

I started out by changing my go times to condition the car to 85 rather than 72. When I get into the car, I set the temp to 71, fan to low, split air between feet and defrost, A/C off, and recirc on. This way, it draws no energy at all for the 1st few miles as the temp in the car drops from 85 to 71.

I've been experimenting a lot with keeping power consumption low during extreme temps--have a lot of experience at it given last winter...ugh.

So far I'm finding the least "expensive" route to go is: Precondition to 85, turn the hvac off and simply crack the drivers window by 1/2" or so--maybe less. You don't have to turn the hvac on at all and the slight window opening allows enough air in to keep the windshield clear but not so much that the temp drops inside by much (at least over about 30 minutes).

 

[davideos]

So the reason you need to crack the window is to keep the windshield clear. I believe that the condensation / frost comes from the humid air exhaled by the driver and passengers. Although this might sound a bit ridiculous, perhaps people could exhale into a tube that goes to a condenser or outside the vehicle. I laugh to myself thinking of a driver wrapped in an electric blanket, exhaling into a tube while driving a state-of-the-art EV

 

[jmueller065]

So the reason you need to crack the window is to keep the windshield clear.

Yes and yes it is due to the humidity in the passenger's breath.

 

[TrojanEV]

What's the consensus in the forums about the seat heaters? Are they a less efficient way to warm up (from a battery use perspective) than just running heat through the climate control system? Put another way, do they deplete the battery as quickly as running the heater does? I'm thinking not, but I'm really just guessing.

 

[NightHawk]

What's the consensus in the forums about the seat heaters? Are they a less efficient way to warm up (from a battery use perspective) than just running heat through the climate control system? Put another way, do they deplete the battery as quickly as running the heater does? I'm thinking not, but I'm really just guessing.

seat heaters take very little power compared to the main heater.

 

[WattsUp]

seat heaters take very little power compared to the main heater.

That's a bit of an understatement. Basically, the seat heaters have no noticeable impact on range.

If you feel warm enough with the seat heaters, definitely use them over the cabin heater.