I have not had luck finding a post specifically about Prime cold weather interior heating, so starting a thread here.
Due to predominance of temperatures below -10C in our winter, the heat pump is ineffective for heating Prime interior. I am not happy with the degree of heating from the Internal Combustion Engine in cold weather (< -10C), very subtle warmth (correction: I took it out of eco fan mode yesterday at -20C and was very comfortable). And it is not possible to remotely preheat the vehicle in very cold weather (when it would be most useful), since that does not start the ICE. If the ICE turns on to run fans/defoggers and heating when driving in cold weather, it keeps battery fully charged, in other words not neccessarily using the renewable electrical electrical energy the battery was charged with at home.
In my opinion, a traditional radiant heat source would have been a good option for cold temperatures where the heat pump is not working. This drains the battery quicker, but for the user to determine whether that reduction in EV range is worth it for passenger comfort and needed range.
I am looking into a vehicle space heater to put inside cab, connected to 120 VAC with a timer when parked at home. Also looking into a 12V 10 amp space heater powered by vehicle 12V 10A power supply, to use while driving. My concern is that the Prime interior 12V powers supply is only 10A, which may blow with a 10A heater.
Other than that, I am finding the Prime a great vehicle, and the heated steering wheel and seats work very well (we do not have vented seats, just the regular leather of XSE. Apparently the vented seats do not conduct the heat as well).
I will report how things work out regarding 12V running and 120V parked space heaters. I imagine many others in cold climes experience same issues, and I am interested to hear anyone else's solutions.
Due to predominance of temperatures below -10C in our winter, the heat pump is ineffective for heating Prime interior. I am not happy with the degree of heating from the Internal Combustion Engine in cold weather (< -10C), very subtle warmth (correction: I took it out of eco fan mode yesterday at -20C and was very comfortable). And it is not possible to remotely preheat the vehicle in very cold weather (when it would be most useful), since that does not start the ICE. If the ICE turns on to run fans/defoggers and heating when driving in cold weather, it keeps battery fully charged, in other words not neccessarily using the renewable electrical electrical energy the battery was charged with at home.
In my opinion, a traditional radiant heat source would have been a good option for cold temperatures where the heat pump is not working. This drains the battery quicker, but for the user to determine whether that reduction in EV range is worth it for passenger comfort and needed range.
I am looking into a vehicle space heater to put inside cab, connected to 120 VAC with a timer when parked at home. Also looking into a 12V 10 amp space heater powered by vehicle 12V 10A power supply, to use while driving. My concern is that the Prime interior 12V powers supply is only 10A, which may blow with a 10A heater.
Other than that, I am finding the Prime a great vehicle, and the heated steering wheel and seats work very well (we do not have vented seats, just the regular leather of XSE. Apparently the vented seats do not conduct the heat as well).
I will report how things work out regarding 12V running and 120V parked space heaters. I imagine many others in cold climes experience same issues, and I am interested to hear anyone else's solutions.
