Heater

[WyrTwister]

I have read the early generations of EV's used an electrical resistance cabin heater . Which has / had a significant negative impact on vehicle range . Especially in northern climates .

Does the Spark EV use resistance heat or some sort of heat pump system ?

God bless
Wyr

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Resistance heater. It peaks about 6 kW.

 

[Zoomit]

Resistance heaters are not just an "early generation EV" thing. They're the only way I know of to create immediate heat, which is helpful for defrosting windows and quickly warming a cabin.

 

[WyrTwister]

OK , let us say it is winter & you park the car the car & plug it in when you get home from work .

You plan to go to work the next morning ( another week day / work day ) .

Can you program the car to turn the heater on early , while still plugged in to AC power . And per-warm the interior for you , using AC power and not diminishing the battery charge , when you leave the house and start your commute to work ?

God bless
Wyr

 

[MrDRMorgan]

OK , let us say it is winter & you park the car the car & plug it in when you get home from work .

You plan to go to work the next morning ( another week day / work day ) .

Can you program the car to turn the heater on early , while still plugged in to AC power . And per-warm the interior for you , using AC power and not diminishing the battery charge , when you leave the house and start your commute to work ?

God bless
Wyr

You cannot program the car to "automatically" start the heater at a preset time. However, you can pre-heat the car in the morning as follows:
1. The evening before, plug in the car and make sure the EVSE is turned on. Turn on the car, set the cabin temperature to your desired temperature and press the AUTO button (the car's blower will go on and will try to adjust the temperature to the one you set). Then turn off the car. Leave the EVSE connected and turned on.
2. The next morning, about 20 minutes before you leave, point the key FOB at the car and press and release the CLOSED LOCK button on the key fob and immediately press and hold the REMOTE START button for 4 seconds or until the turn signal lamps flash. The car will turn on and the heater will be activated for 20 minutes before turning off. This works exactly the same way for air conditioning in hot weather.

 

[kevin]

Resistance heaters are not just an "early generation EV" thing. They're the only way I know of to create immediate heat, which is helpful for defrosting windows and quickly warming a cabin.

Some EVs use a heat pump (A/C running backwards) to provide heat. They reduce the consumption by a factor of about 3 provided the outside temperature is not too low. They usually include a resistive heater as well to provide heat when when it is too cold and to provide a faster warm up.

The BMW i3 (non REX) and the Nissan Leaf have heat pumps.

kevin

 

[WyrTwister]

I am somewhat familiar with heat pumps . We installed ductless mini split A/C - heat pumps in our living room and bedroom .

A great way to save battery charge on an EV .

But , from what has been said , not available on the Spark EV . :-(

Thanks ,
Wyr
God bless

 

[Zoomit]

Resistance heaters are not just an "early generation EV" thing. They're the only way I know of to create immediate heat, which is helpful for defrosting windows and quickly warming a cabin.

Some EVs use a heat pump (A/C running backwards to provide heat. They reduce the consumption by a factor of about 3 provide the outside temperature is not too low. They usually include a resistive heater as well to provide heat when when it is too cold and to provide a faster warm up.

The BMW i# (non REX) and the Nissan Leaf have heat pumps.

kevin

Yep, the e-Golf, Soul EV, and forthcoming IONIQ Electric have heat pumps as well. The Model S and X have resistance heaters but also use powertrain waste heat.

 

[Porsche]

In an EV, heat pumps probably save weight too. I imagine you'd use the same compressor, etc. as the AC, so no extra hardware for the heat.

 

[NORTON]

In an EV, heat pumps probably save weight too. I imagine you'd use the same compressor, etc. as the AC, so no extra hardware for the heat.

Only what about when it gets so cold that heat pumps no longer create heat?
What about when you need heat and dehumidification (defrost/defog) at the same time?

 

[Porsche]

In an EV, heat pumps probably save weight too. I imagine you'd use the same compressor, etc. as the AC, so no extra hardware for the heat.

Only what about when it gets so cold that heat pumps no longer create heat?
What about when you need heat and dehumidification (defrost/defog) at the same time?

Yes, good point. I guess you could have a smaller, secondary resistive heater, but still wouldn't address defog/heat at the same time.

Actually, you touched on one of my pet peeves. Running the AC compressor and heat/defog at the same time is sometimes useful, but not always. It really bugs me that in most cars, you can't select "defrost" and turn off the AC compressor. I often want to do that, just blast the heat in winter without using the AC. Yeah, yeah, it's supposed to aid by dehumidifying, but the thermodynamics don't always work that way, especially in very cold winter. What a waste of fuel.

Another pet peeve, if I need AC on low, but it's still too cold, why do I have to blend hot air into it? Why doesn't the AC run on a thermostat at a lower duty cycle? Another big waste of fuel.

 

[NORTON]

...Another pet peeve, if I need AC on low, but it's still too cold, why do I have to blend hot air into it? Why doesn't the AC run on a thermostat at a lower duty cycle? Another big waste of fuel.

I'm pretty sure most Hybrid and EV's run the AC compressor at variable speeds, as required.
It's not On/Off like in a gasser.
They are powered by the HV battery directly and have an internal inverter to run the 3 phase brushless compressor motor.