This will warm the car faster

The icy steering wheel, the damp seat covers, our breath steaming: no fun in a cold car after a winter’s night. Its attractiveness is great, to go to work in hot weather, it is enough to increase the engine speed and turn on the heating. But if you drive your car wrong now, you risk damaging the car, causing more emissions, and you could be penalized – and you could still sit in the cold car or drastically shorten the electric car’s range.

This is how it works with the burner

Gasoline or diesel engine vehicles are heated by combustion waste heat. So start the engine in the morning, then have a snack, and then get in the hot car? Not so, because unfortunately it is forbidden: Article 34 of the Swiss Traffic Regulations (VRV) prohibits leaving the engine running when stopped. Cost: 60 francs in fines.

Here’s how it works when the car spends the night outside in the cold of winter:

• Please ride without a jacket even in winter so that the belt fits well. But: if it is still cold, first leave the jacket on (because of the belt, it is better to make it from wool rather than with thick filling) and …
• … do not turn on the heating after starting the engine. The engine needs waste heat to reach operating temperature (note the thermometer). Whoever starts the engine immediately and laboriously extracts the heat from the engine will damage the engine and cause more emissions because the combustion is not yet working optimally.
• Now drive at high speed so that the engine warms up faster? Do not do this – it will also damage the engine. This is why the engine sometimes kills the engine on short trips in freezing cold – no chance of reaching operating temperature. Maybe then it would be better to take public transport.
• Is there a seat heater – turn it on!
• If there is air conditioning, set it to defrost so that the inside of the windows is clean. Heated windshields – sometimes a sensible option – are particularly good, as they also provide a clear view of the front via heating wires.
• If the engine warms up after a few kilometers, you can increase the temperature so that it is comfortable and warm. Then pause briefly and remove your jacket so that the belt fits snugly.
• By the way, the 20 degrees shown isn’t always exactly 20 degrees: Adjust it to your comfort, not the temperature shown.
• Anyone who parks outside might consider purchasing a programmable parking heater that preheats the vehicle before takeoff. Many diesels are already prepared for this. But: The devices cost (starting at around 800 francs, but sometimes double) and require fuel.

And that’s how it works in an electric car

When it’s cold, a Stromer’s range drops by 20 to 50 percent – not just because we want it to be warm inside. It’s fun like this in an electric car:

• Park indoors at night if possible – this also saves you from having to scrape the ice.
• The interior can be air-conditioned either pre-programmed for the departure time or via a smartphone app. Don’t use precious battery power for this, leave the car plugged into an outlet or wall outlet.
• Leave jacket for landing as above…
• … and turn on the seat heating. Warming the body directly is much more efficient than using ambient air. Also, the heated seats are powered by a low voltage from the 12-volt battery, so they have less of an impact on range than electric air heaters.
• … have to be careful, because it greatly reduces the range. Continue to use seat and steering wheel heating instead.
• Makes sense: heat pump – standard or optional. It is heated by excess waste heat from the battery, transmission, power electronics and electric motor.
• Take off your jacket when it’s warm enough. Don’t set it to tee temperature though, which costs a lot of range. Also, the battery needs the optimum operating temperature and is heated for this purpose. You shouldn’t draw that warmth from him right away.
• Only heat indoor areas where someone is sitting. Adjust the air conditioner accordingly.
• An e-car will keep you warm for hours, even in a traffic jam, but it costs a lot. Therefore, always set off with a fully charged battery whenever possible. The downside of e-mobility? No – you can run out of fuel in a traffic jam too.
• Yes, you can also power e-cars with auxiliary heaters for fossil fuel – but that’s probably not the point.

Lantern park cars without a charging option naturally have a bad hand in winter when it comes to efficiently heating an electric car. Maybe Stromer isn’t for you then. Because few things are more annoying than freezing in traffic in the morning.