Upgrading Heating System - Yet Another Option

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twiin640

Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
24
Location
Front Royal, VA
PV1 said:
Yes I have. Attached is my spreadsheet of several temperature measurements taken to determine if charger/motor waste heat would be worth tapping into. One could set a delay start timer so that the charger pre-heats the coolant loop before driving if utilizing waste heat.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/88t0dknhzf1nqu1/Temperature%20Measurements.xlsx?dl=0

However, this is barely on topic, so this conversation should continue here:
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=2479

(Search tool still isn't that great. It couldn't find that thread.)

Speaking of pre-heating, I recently bought 3 of those silicone heaters, the type that are installed on oil pans of trucks to keep the engine warm before use on cold mornings. I plan to install 2 of them on the plastic tank in the engine compartment to pre-heat the heating fluid before use. I'll wire them up to a switch and turn it on a little while before I drive the car. I tested them to see how hot they would get and while they got hot, it wasn't enough to melt the plastic tank. The tank will be covered by insulation to hold the heat in. I also plan to cover the fluid hoses with insulating foam to hold the heat in those as well.
 
twiin640, I brought your post over to this new thread as it was somewhat unrelated to the charging timer.

Um, this oil pan heater looks interesting and I see many variations on Amazon, with wildly differing prices; however, I'm confused: if your intention is to pre-heat the heater fluid using 120vac, why not just leave it plugged into J1772 and turn on the heater or defroster with the Remote? :?

Insulating the tank and the heater hoses sounds like a great idea, and quite an omission by Mitsubishi. There are some posts on this forum showing how others have done it.
 
I agree - This sounds like a solution looking for a problem?? Nothing is going to preheat the coolant like the 5 KW element built into the car - It not only preheats, but it circulates the hot water to heat the air inside the car on only 15 minutes or so

Maybe he bought a car without the remote??

Don
 
This thought occurred to me on the drive home tonight. If the modifications could be done, would using the battery pack itself as thermal storage for the cabin be worthwhile?

If the battery pack could be warmed to about 85 F while charging, then with the pack's exhaust duct routed into the car somewhere, simply engaging the recirculator and directing air into the battery would make the pack a heat source for the cabin. The car could still be pre-heated using the remote's Defrost function, and because the cells generate some heat while driving, the thermal store is somewhat regenerative, even more so when highway driving and quick charging. Side benefits of having the pack so warm include maximum regen force, faster quick charging, and possibly a slight increase in range.

Modifications that would be necessary:
1. Re-route pack exhaust into the car.
2. Install 120/240 volt heating pads on the bottom of the battery pack with CAN-based thermostat.
3. Insulate the battery pack.

This obviously wouldn't be enough to heat the car up from cold, but it could be a useful way to maintain cabin temperature without sacrificing range or burning fuel. Plus, there's enough thermal storage that it shouldn't lose too much temperature while sitting at work, especially if the pack is insulated.
 
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