Is this Preheating Idea Crazy?

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PianoAl

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2016
Messages
239
My research on the climate control timer suggests that in many situations, it may end up using power from the battery. I don't want that.

I have a model S, and sometimes I just want to switch on the preheater 10 minutes before I'm going to leave.

What if I just bought a safe heater, something like this

51TB1S12juL._SL1000_.jpg


or this:

71xFLupAWqL._SL1500_.jpg


and plug it in? I would set it so it would be impossible to drive away with it still plugged in.

It's simple. Is it safe?
 
Ideally, there would be something that sits outside the car and blows hot air in through a slightly opened window, but I've seen nothing like that.
 
I used two of those "My Heat" 200 watt heaters in a battery-power heater prototype, and they work ok. Just keep in mind that they have only thermal protection, not tip-over switches. You'd want two or three of them to preheat. I suggest you fabricate some sort of non-flammable mounting board for them, either semi-installed in the car or ready to pop in and out quickly.

I should add this: I also preheat using L-1 only, and if you do it for only 2-3 minutes, it uses no more than 2% charge, net, and provides more heat than three of those little heaters would in 10 minutes.
 
I use a vorando heater with the windows cracked. I do this to pre heat the car as well as dry it out in winter. I find the fan on this heater really strong so it really moves the warm air around the cabin and warms everything up.

https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-Vortex-Automatic-Climate-Control/dp/B000GLHVZA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470977039&sr=8-2&keywords=vornado+heater
 
I believe the gen 1 heater is 5000W, so keep that in mind when thinking about how much heat you can expect out of a 200W heater.

I haven't tried it on a vehicle, but I'd serious consider trying a hair dryer. They run ~1000-2000W with a built in fan for ~$15-30. Seems hard to beat. You could run it in through the window (be careful of overheating the glass and damaging it) or rig something up to hold it inside for more of a recirculating effect.

Rob
 
miscrms said:
I believe the gen 1 heater is 5000W, so keep that in mind when thinking about how much heat you can expect out of a 200W heater.

I haven't tried it on a vehicle, but I'd serious consider trying a hair dryer. They run ~1000-2000W with a built in fan for ~$15-30. Seems hard to beat. You could run it in through the window (be careful of overheating the glass and damaging it) or rig something up to hold it inside for more of a recirculating effect.

Rob
I'd be real leery about running a hair dryer unattended, especially for any length of time. They simply aren't designed for that. I'd be afraid it might overheat if run too long.
 
PianoAl said:
My research on the climate control timer suggests that in many situations, it may end up using power from the battery. I don't want that.

I have a model S, and sometimes I just want to switch on the preheater 10 minutes before I'm going to leave.

What if I just bought a safe heater, something like this

51TB1S12juL._SL1000_.jpg


or this:

71xFLupAWqL._SL1500_.jpg


and plug it in? I would set it so it would be impossible to drive away with it still plugged in.

It's simple. Is it safe?

Do you charge with a Level 1 or Level 2 EVSE?

If the battery is charged, and you are using a Level 2 EVSE, there should not be any drain on the battery when the Climate Timer kicks in.

I would say that the use of any heater that is not built-in to the vehicle, is not safe if left unattended.
 
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