Does the PIP have a pre-heater ?

don't wanna call in that chit too often!

 

sorry guys, now i'm more confused. if the ptc is a high efficiency electric heater, how does erica's statement "the ptc has an electric heating element like prius, which makes it more efficient than a standard heating system". is this in the pip or not? and, if so, how does it work with the engine exhaust heating system?

 

If you read the PTC document in Evan's link, the PTC heater doesn't have an "element" in the normal sense. The ceramic material in the heater is the "element". Applying a voltage across the ceramic causes it to heat. It looks like a very efficient heater.

 

I read the document as well and remain confused. It does not explain where the PTC type of ceramic heater is used in the Prius. Is this the heat source for the heated seats or can it raise the cabin temperature while running on battery during the first 10 miles or so as a heat source to the heating system??

What is used if you need defrost in the first 10 miles?

 

In the area I live in, temperatures rarely get below freezing, but during the winter months I usually need to defrost the windows for about 5 minutes before I can fully see through the windows when I leave work at night.

Will there be an option to start defrosting the windows using the Entune Plug-in Hybrid Applications for smartphones (with Advanced model), either by turning on in-window defrosters or by turning on defrosting vents (not sure how effective it is at defrosting without heat though)?

Also, can the seat heaters be turned on remotely?

 

no, no and no. sorry.

 

i did read the link. i understand what a ptc heater is. all i want to know is, does the pip have one and, if so, where does it come into play vs the engine heater?

 

Unfortunately, JP PiP does not come with the PTC heater as standard, and it is one of the cold weather options.
The story is exact same as the regular Prius in Japan.

Therefore, following is my guess for JP PiP.
The optional PTC heater supplies small heat as supplement during initial warming up while ICE does not supply enough heat when you turn on heater fan.

So, JP PiP goes to HV mode when you turn on heater fan on cold start same as the regular Prius.

Ken@Japan

 

Following picture is derived from JP product page.

(1), (2) and (3) show solid battery level for EV mode.
(4), (5) and (6) show eight levels for HV mode.
If PiP was going on downhill and the charge level went from (4) to (3), it says PiP can be enabled EV mode manually.
If the charge level went from (3) to (2), it says PiP goes to EV mode automatically.

So, I think the default is EV mode if the charge level is enough for EV mode.
Or, it goes to HV mode when you turn on heater fan on cold start.

Ken@Japan

 

why can't the ptc be used while the car is plugged in? so it will be warm when you drive away.

 

That website has a host of interesting info on it, one of which is showing that 3 additional colors are available in Japan:

Nautical Blue Metallic (8S6)
Barcelona Red Mica (3R3)
Super White (040).

toyota.jp Æ’vÆ’Å Æ’EÆ’XPHV Âb Æ’GÆ’NÆ’XÆ’eÆ’Å Æ’A Âb Æ’{Æ’fÆ’BÆ’Jƒ‰Â[

 

I love how the solid battery indicates PHV mode. Simple and effective.

 

I read this entire tread because im very interested in this topic. Living in a cold climate it will definately effect me. I just want to confirm, the PiP will allow the option to start in HV mode then switch to EV mode later when the car/engine is warm? What I don't want is to use EV mode to heat the cabin/engine when starting from cold. I'd rather save the EV for the middle of my commute where it will be most effective.

 

Likely because it isn't large enough. It's there so that when you turn on the heat without a warmed up ICE, you aren't hit with a blast of cold air from the vents. If it's in the same power range has the gen2's, it doesn't put out much of what people would call hot air. It just keeps the air from being icy while the ICE heats up.

 

thanks tb, i didn't even know the gen II had a pre heater. you're right, it must be really small!