Alternative to Remote Starter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Stefx, Nov 14, 2008.

Page 2 of 2
  1. Stefx

    Stefx Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2008
    336
    4
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Cobrakid... yeah a remote starter is easier. It's still fun to consider alternatives, and I was especially interested in considering electrical heating to better understand the use of pure EV cars in cold climate.

    I did a test last night. The 700W AC heater ran all night, and at best it managed a temp delta of 10C (6C in cabin, -4C OAT - Outside Air Temperature). In F that's 25F OAT and 43F in cabin. The winds were mild.
    In other words, electrical heating through a battery bank is not an option. It's not practical to consider 2-5kW of electrical heating.

    It's unfortunate, because it rules out the Zenn as a potential 2nd car for my wife and I. It wouldn't be practical to have "another" 2nd car (hence a 3rd car) for winters.


    Unless a severe increase in battery capacity occurs, pure EV vehicles will have to include some form of combustion heating (Espar/Webasto-type in some form) for cold climates.
    The deep cycle batteries I was considering weigh 60lbs for 1 kWh
    Even the Li-ion Hymotion kit at 10k USD weighs 180lbs for 5kWh
     
    #21 Stefx, Nov 21, 2008
  2. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,076
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Previous EVs have used efficient two-stage heat pumps for heating and cooling.

    Tom
     
    #22 qbee42, Nov 21, 2008
  3. Stefx

    Stefx Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2008
    336
    4
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Heat pumps work until a treshold temperature is reached. For example, in most residential applications, heat pumps work at -15 deg C and above.

    Little heat is pump between a -60C "freon" and -30C ambient air.
     
    #23 Stefx, Nov 21, 2008
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,076
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    That's why they used multi-stage pumps. You can go with as big a delta as necessary, but of course you pay for it in the cost of equipment. I worked with a multi-stage chiller that brought the cooling fluid down to -80C.

    With MR magnets, we used coolers to re-condense helium back into liquid helium at around 8K or -265C. Of course these coolers were a wee bit different than an ordinary heat pump.

    Tom
     
    #24 qbee42, Nov 21, 2008
  5. SyCo

    SyCo Member

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2007
    207
    17
    0
    Location:
    Quebec
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I've used indoor 14 gauge cord and I ran it through the trim along the sides. (see pic)
    [​IMG]

    As for the temp, my heater ran at 900watts from 5am to 7am this morning... outside temp -8c inside temp 4c. It was windy as always where I live.:eek:hwell:
     
    #25 SyCo, Nov 21, 2008
  6. JoesMorgue

    JoesMorgue Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2008
    61
    12
    0
    Location:
    Outside Detroit, MI
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Take your deep cycle battery and connect it to solar panels as a source to recharge the system while the car is off.

    A timer to set the start time to pre-heat the car before you leave work. If you doing AC heat, add an ICE heater to the timer so you get heat faster. A 1/2 hour should be enough time....
     
    #26 JoesMorgue, Dec 4, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 2 of 2