How to keep an efficient engine warm?

[Lemmy]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Not in Washingon (state, not DC). They're mostly hydro/renewable.

The point isn't just to melt snow either, it's to warm the cabin while still plugged into the grid, thereby retaining full EV range upon departure.

Hydroelectric doesn't come without environmental cost. Squandering resources for the sake of comfort for lazy folk is going to become socially unacceptable and unsustainable. The whole point of ecomodding is to eke out dwindling resources, not waste them.

Put the car in a garage, or wear some appropriate cold weather clothing.

[redpoint5]

Naw, warming the cabin is small beans. Better to have consumers wanting EVs and the benefit of starting out in a warm cabin than to prefer their ICE counterparts. We're talkin 8 cents of electricity. You can't even start a car for 8 cents worth of gasoline.

Not only that, but winter driving usually requires windows to be defrosted, which uses warm air from the vents. Better to draw as much of that power from the grid than to use the battery upon departure.

I'm all for conservation and efficiency, but that's not what is going to stem resource depletion globally. That problem will only be solved by either massive reductions in wealth, which will also massively increase all the problems associated with poverty, or a reduction in population.

[fusion210]

Do any cars come with electric side window defrosters? I remember seeing one in a front window of a van and thought it was pretty neat. I imagine the window moving would make it very difficult.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Naw, warming the cabin is small beans. Better to have consumers wanting EVs and the benefit of starting out in a warm cabin than to prefer their ICE counterparts. We're talkin 8 cents of electricity. You can't even start a car for 8 cents worth of gasoline.

Not only that, but winter driving usually requires windows to be defrosted, which uses warm air from the vents. Better to draw as much of that power from the grid than to use the battery upon departure.

My Leaf had a heat pump heater. Granted, it generally used the resistance heater when preheating. But I was able to make it use the heat pump heater many times for preheating. On the other hand, ever try going 70 miles at 40mph with no heater on in subzero weather with a wife in an EV? I have, and it's not really that fun.

But I agree. Heating the glass is very important for safety reasons. The '85 Golf diesel I had was notorious for not being able to keep the glass clean around town. Driving around in blizzard conditions with fogged or frosty glass is a disaster waiting to happen. I hate driving around trying not to breath and holding a scraper in one hand so I can periodically scrape the frost off the inside of the windshield.

I wonder if I could change out my windshield wipers for windshield scrapers and put another set of automated windshield scrapers on the inside.

Originally Posted by fusion210

Do any cars come with electric side window defrosters? I remember seeing one in a front window of a van and thought it was pretty neat. I imagine the window moving would make it very difficult.

That would be awesome! I can't even find the windshield version in the USA. Of course, they are probably illegal over here.

Originally Posted by Lemmy

Squandering resources for the sake of comfort for lazy folk is going to become socially unacceptable and unsustainable. The whole point of ecomodding is to eke out dwindling resources, not waste them.

Put the car in a garage, or wear some appropriate cold weather clothing.

I agree. People look out for their comfort much more than preserving the planet we live on. It makes me upset that there are so many people around here where I live who are against things like mining but all drive full sized SUV's.

But where is the happy medium? Theoretically, if we all ditched motorized transportation, except for maybe emergency applications, the planet and even our health would be much better off, but living standards would be 1800's again. I'm absolutely positive I could stop using motorized vehicles and walk or bike everywhere I really need to go. But in today's society I also would probably end up as a divorced, friendless, uneducated and poor hermit if I did that.

[Isaac Zackary]

I've been thinking of covering my engine and transaxle, exhaust manifold and all, with this stuff:

Fiberfrax Durablanket

What do you think?

[Daox]

Insulating the block is definitely a good way to keep things warm. I'd like to see you give it a go. Not many have done it.

[redpoint5]

Pretty darn expensive. How about some pink fiberglass insulation?

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Pretty darn expensive. How about some pink fiberglass insulation?

At what temperature does fiberglass catch on fire? I'm afraid of it igniting if it's up against the exhaust manifold.

[Daox]

Its basically glass strands, so really high. Here is what google says it starts to soften at 1200F.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by Daox

Its basically glass strands, so really high. Here is what google says it starts to soften at 1200F.

Ok. I might try it then. I know that certain other normally non-flammable substances will ignite and burn long before their melting temps if in thin strand form. This includes metals such as aluminum, titanium and even iron.