Most efficient way to heat

[asimba2]

I have read the owner's manual on how to operate the climate control but it hasn't answered my questions on the most efficient way to heat the cabin. I have a 2013 SV with the hybrid heater and I live in temperate California. Rarely does it even get to freezing.

If the inside temperature is set at 70-degrees and I'm not concerned about windows fogging, should the climate be set to 70 degrees with the heat button illuminated, or should I be using the auto setting? What exactly does auto do? I am aware that eco mode reduces power consumption.

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[evnow]

Pre-heat when connected to the grid. Occassional use heat when driving to stay warm. This is to maximize range.

If range is not a concern, set it to auto and enjoy your drive.

 

[asimba2]

I have been experimenting on my daily commute and it seems like leaving the heat set at 70 degrees is using up less range than cycling the heater myself. Just curious if others have experienced the same.

Pushing the "heat" button causes a draw of about 1.5kw for approx 30 seconds, then it cycles between 0kw and about 200kw. If I cycle it manually, it starts at 1.5kw each time.

 

[jsongster]

The main thing we figured out with our 2013 is to preheat off the house... then make sure that recirc air is on. Bringing in cold air after warming makes no sense. Use defrost only when necessary. Remember that it always turns on ac also (fine if you need to defrost really quickly, excessive if you just wanna keep it from fogging.) dress warmly and toss in a blanket for that one person who is always colder than everyone else.

 

[asimba2]

I guess my 42 mile commute isn't enough to make a difference. Yesterday I drove in the light rain with the wipers running, headlights on, heater left on and set to 72 degrees, with the occasional cycling of the AC button to keep the windshield defrosted and today I drove with no rain with everything off and I only saved an additional 2% of the battery compared to the previous day. That said, "cold" weather here is 45 degrees outside.

Thanks for the tips, I figure it's important to know for cold days when I need to drive further.

 

[DaveEV]

I guess my 42 mile commute isn't enough to make a difference. Yesterday I drove in the light rain with the wipers running, headlights on, heater left on and set to 72 degrees, with the occasional cycling of the AC button to keep the windshield defrosted and today I drove with no rain with everything off and I only saved an additional 2% of the battery compared to the previous day. That said, "cold" weather here is 45 degrees outside.

Thanks for the tips, I figure it's important to know for cold days when I need to drive further.

In mild temperatures, the heat pump is amazing. In temps of only 50-55F the regular heater stays pegged at 1.5 kW in ECO mode with the temp set to 75F (Press auto then recirc, keeps car warmer, though will fog windshield a bit) - good for about a 10% hit in range on my commute. Will have to leave it in D one day to see how much more juice it sucks down, but it will peg the meter at 4-5 kW at least for a while.

 

[Pauly]

Hello,

I have a 30 mile commute each way. I have only used trickel charging and public level 2 charging since I received my Leaf in May 2013. This winter has been very brutal, 45 days below zero here in Minnesota. I tried preheating my car in my unheated garage, but found that the car does not warm up very much while on the trickel charger. Level 2 preheating at public charging locations worked very well.

We have three leaf owners where I work. We found the most effecient way to heat the leaf in subzero temperature and maintain a decent range is to set the fan speed to the number 2 setting. You can keep the temperature at 90. I usually don't allow my heating to go over the 3 KW on the enegry screen. When the windows start to fog up. You have to run the heat and AC at the same time. This happens when you press the defrost button. Once the windows have defogged, I press the defrost button again to turn off the AC.

Hope this helps,

Pauly

 

[Nubo]

The main thing we figured out with our 2013 is to preheat off the house... then make sure that recirc air is on. Bringing in cold air after warming makes no sense. Use defrost only when necessary. Remember that it always turns on ac also (fine if you need to defrost really quickly, excessive if you just wanna keep it from fogging.) dress warmly and toss in a blanket for that one person who is always colder than everyone else.

Using outside air can help bring the humidity level down. Also leaving the AC on. One thing to keep in mind is that moisture can accumulate in the car and its fabrics. Over time you can reach a condition where you constantly have to use a lot of heat to stop the fogging. So when I have the range available (which is most of the time), I just use the AUTO setting, and reserve any tricks (like recirc/turning off the AC) for times when I really need to stretch the range. That way the cabin is dry and I can get away with it -- getting the benefit when I need it most. Of course this is all dependent on climate and probably only a concern when humidity is high or you're frequently getting in and out of the car with wet shoes and clothing.

 

[asimba2]

What does the 'auto' setting do, exactly? When I engage that setting, it usually changes the air distribution to the floor, but aside from that, I can't discern what it really does.

 

[kovalb]

What does the 'auto' setting do, exactly? When I engage that setting, it usually changes the air distribution to the floor, but aside from that, I can't discern what it really does.

Auto selects fan speed, which vents are used (floor, face, etc.), and whether fresh or recirculated air is used. Fresh is almost always selected automatically, with the exception of initial cool-down in hot temperature conditions. Fresh air intake helps prevent window fogging.

I also drive in mild conditions and usually use auto, but with recirc mode manually selected. This saves a tiny bit of power. When I see my windows just start to fog I press auto to put it back in fresh mode. This usually clears the windows in seconds. When more severe humidity exists it may be necessary to use either defrost or have both heat and A/C buttons activated (they both activate automatically when activating defrost mode). Having both heat and A/C buttons activated at the same time disables the heat-pump and activates the PTC heater (resistance heater) along with the A/C compressor to both heat and dry the air; but using higher power to do so.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Raycreed]

1 thing about the heater that I've noticed.

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and we've had very cold weather this year. I purchased my 2013 leaf SV in October, So its only been through cold weather so far, dropping as low as -14F in January. What I've noticed is that the Heat pump half of the heater only comes on if its below 38F degrees on my leaf's Dash. I can feel the pump come on through the brake petal when it comes on. If its above 38F on the dash, I don't feel the pump kick on for me. I guess 38F is the cutoff point between the heat pump staying on or off.