There isn't a regular keyfob transmitter you can remote start the car with? That's what I do with my Volt.
EVs with different types of heaters?
- Thread starter dogememe
- Start date
There isn't a regular keyfob transmitter you can remote start the car with? That's what I do with my Volt.
I am testing my ev6 GT out in various modes. I managed in 25*f 2.5mi/kwh using cabin at 70f and driven in normal mode. Using no hvac, only heated wheel and seat, I am averaging 2.8mi/kwh in 35f. Normally, in 70f weather, I average 3.4mi/kwh, so it appears range loss is cut in half by not using hvac, but is still notably impacted in the cold, even without. The seat and wheel heater burn about 0.2kw by my readout, so not much a factor.
I drove my c40 in -10? Temps last year. It was a total non issue. Same % when I went out to it vs when I parked it 14 hours prior in the lot.
I always recommend to people to buy an EV that is tested by C&D to do a 75mph distance 200% their longest regular need. This is a good safe place to be for then and the future in all weather.
On the water heater subject. I've only had 2 times that mine has had to kick on the resistive elements in the two years I've had it.
Christmas 2022 it was stupid cold here in GA with a low of 7 and a high of 27. The Rheem didn't even try to run the compressor. The 2nd column is kw/h. The 22nd was cold, the 23'rd and the 24th it was too cold for the compressor to run most of the day. So, even though the COP is WAY down, it is still about 1/3rd the cost of a resistive heater until those elements turn on.
Compare that to a couple of hot days this September.
These are with 3 people in the house. Compare that to 4 kw/h to heat the water for one shower with a regular resistive water heater. The savings are there.....for sure.
Christmas 2022 it was stupid cold here in GA with a low of 7 and a high of 27. The Rheem didn't even try to run the compressor. The 2nd column is kw/h. The 22nd was cold, the 23'rd and the 24th it was too cold for the compressor to run most of the day. So, even though the COP is WAY down, it is still about 1/3rd the cost of a resistive heater until those elements turn on.
Compare that to a couple of hot days this September.
These are with 3 people in the house. Compare that to 4 kw/h to heat the water for one shower with a regular resistive water heater. The savings are there.....for sure.
Last edited:
What is k/wh?
Same everything here. Gas would have to be north of $3.75-$4 for my expensive Maine electricity to make sense running in my Prime.
One of those cheap (120 bucks or less) Chinese Diesel heaters, that everybody uses for workshops, tiny houses, garages etc. now would totally do the trick in an EV. Especially since it was designed for cars and RVs in the first place.
Probably would, but also would defeat the purpose of driving the EV in the first place. Having to smell the stupid thing running. I almost care more about that than the fact that it saves money over driving. There's a process to the startup of the VW GTI that runs a secondary air pump on startup for emissions and for some reason when it clicks off it runs extremely rich and runs exhaust into the car when the back hatch is open. Makes me not want to preheat the engine while I'm loading my gear in the car. It's just as bad as my 5.0 pick up truck was in the winter. It's what I've always hated in the winter about ICE vehicles, yet I so far continue to drive ICE vehicles. I think I'm about done with that.
Is it not capable of running the engine for heat, while drawing the majority of energy for propulsion from the batteries?
I have just the opposite. My electricity is low enough that at $4 a gallon getting 35 mpg still makes it 3x the cost of driving the EV per mile. I already replaced a full size truck with the 35mpg vehicle and got rid of a large crossover for the Tesla and I could still save another $1000-$1500 in fuel at this time over buying another ICE vehicle when my current one warrants replacement. Obviously that narrows a bit with lower gas prices, but power is still relatively inexpensive for most of the US here.
The heat pump in my Kona EV draws around 0.6 to 0.8 kW in winter, about the same as the AC in summer, about 4% of the total draw from the battery when driving at highway speeds.
When starting under 7°C the cabin resistance heater (commonly referred to as the PTC) kicks in first, drawing about 3.5 kW for about 2 minutes while the heat pump completes the defrost cycle.
The heat pump is not used for heating the battery but it can cool it if it gets over 40°C +. The battery is heated by a second PTC if needed to help fast charging.
When starting under 7°C the cabin resistance heater (commonly referred to as the PTC) kicks in first, drawing about 3.5 kW for about 2 minutes while the heat pump completes the defrost cycle.
The heat pump is not used for heating the battery but it can cool it if it gets over 40°C +. The battery is heated by a second PTC if needed to help fast charging.
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2023
- Messages
- 31
Ever run a space heater or a hair dryer ? Not too energy efficient huh…
So - vehicle HVAC has a surprising amount of tonnage since occupants need it cold FAST, whereas a home just needs to be held at a constant. I remember that the gen IV town and country had enough AC tonnage to cover a mid-sized apartment.
borrowing from home ownership, gas heat gets temps up much faster than a heat pump, and heat pumps are more effective at temperate climes than extreme. OTOH, heat pumps begin making heat the moment you turn them on, as opposed to a gas engine which takes half the drive to warm up.
IMO, heated contact surfaces such as wheel and full seating, and heat pump primary would be ideal. Seat heat doesn’t actually pull that many amps and goes a long way. It’s immediate as well. That would take care of the immediate need for heat allowing the heat pump to get going over time. This is not unlike the gains discovered in resistant radiant heating, where you keep the air temps around 60f and then use localized radiant heat in the area occupied at that time, for notable gains in efficiency.
borrowing from home ownership, gas heat gets temps up much faster than a heat pump, and heat pumps are more effective at temperate climes than extreme. OTOH, heat pumps begin making heat the moment you turn them on, as opposed to a gas engine which takes half the drive to warm up.
IMO, heated contact surfaces such as wheel and full seating, and heat pump primary would be ideal. Seat heat doesn’t actually pull that many amps and goes a long way. It’s immediate as well. That would take care of the immediate need for heat allowing the heat pump to get going over time. This is not unlike the gains discovered in resistant radiant heating, where you keep the air temps around 60f and then use localized radiant heat in the area occupied at that time, for notable gains in efficiency.
That's precisely why Tesla recommends using seat heat as opposed to just cranking up the interior heat, but that got people up in a tizzy about EVs only making it 7.6 miles on a cold day.
Oh, the stories I could tell-my first car was a ‘64 Beetle! It was the same age as me when my aunt gave it to me in 1980, but it had spent it’s life outside, back when we had REAL winters, and the heater ducts rusted out the first year (& between the 6V electrical system & flaky carburetor, it was almost impossible to start without bump starting below 30F)! Endless hijinks of blankets & deicer cans to defrost the inside of the windshield, along with my HS wrestling team pushing it around in the snow to get the **** thing started ensued… Good times!
There are 120v versions as well. The knock on them is that they're noisy and reliability has been spotty. The ideal location for them is a garage in climate zones 3-1.
The worst place is a hallway closet in cold climates because they're taking heat out of the surrounding heated indoor air. I haven't bothered to look at the efficiency ratings in this scenario.
It's not like the exhaust of that little heater is going into the cabin, so you not gonna smell a thing.
that brought back memories. I forgot some times we used to have to push my Dad down the street to get the car running. LOLOh, the stories I could tell-my first car was a ‘64 Beetle! It was the same age as me when my aunt gave it to me in 1980, but it had spent it’s life outside, back when we had REAL winters, and the heater ducts rusted out the first year (& between the 6V electrical system & flaky carburetor, it was almost impossible to start without bump starting below 30F)! Endless hijinks of blankets & deicer cans to defrost the inside of the windshield, along with my HS wrestling team pushing it around in the snow to get the **** thing started ensued… Good times!
seemed like this occurred regularly when it was foggy or damp.