wmcbrine
Well-known member
Don't the differing color temperatures bug you? /OCDbennelson said:Here's a shot of the LED headlights with original halogen fog-lights.
New Owner - Ben got an iMiEV - Again!
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databeestje
Well-known member
I've been contemplating getting some LED headlights, but since it's such a chore I'd rather order it in one go. I'd love to hear your experiences with it.
I'm definitely going for 4300K lighting color, far less blue, more or less equal to the HID lighting. It costs the same, so that makes sense. Since it's something that would take a month or so to arrive from Aliexpress it might be spring by then
I'm definitely going for 4300K lighting color, far less blue, more or less equal to the HID lighting. It costs the same, so that makes sense. Since it's something that would take a month or so to arrive from Aliexpress it might be spring by then
Don't the differing color temperatures bug you? /OCD [/quote]
I seldom drive with fog-lights on, so NO. Seems like diminishing returns to upgrade the High Beams or fog-lights to LED when they get used so little. Ideally? Yes, it would be nice to have everything the same color, but I don't have any urge right now to upgrade the other lights.
The most typical way of driving is with either the DRL or low-beams, both of which are LED, and look very nice by themselves.
I still need to check the rear marker lights. If those are also, W5w bulbs (which I think they are) I'll probably swap those out for LED. In that case, it would just be for that little tiny bit of energy savings.
I also played around with adding a red gel to one of the front dome lights. The LED bulbs are so bright that just one lights up the whole front of the car just fine. I tucked some red plastic behind the light cover on the one side. That way, I can turn on JUST a red light while driving to be able to see without it being too bright inside the car. Seems to work pretty well.
[/quote]I seldom drive with fog-lights on, so NO. Seems like diminishing returns to upgrade the High Beams or fog-lights to LED when they get used so little. Ideally? Yes, it would be nice to have everything the same color, but I don't have any urge right now to upgrade the other lights.
The most typical way of driving is with either the DRL or low-beams, both of which are LED, and look very nice by themselves.
I still need to check the rear marker lights. If those are also, W5w bulbs (which I think they are) I'll probably swap those out for LED. In that case, it would just be for that little tiny bit of energy savings.
I also played around with adding a red gel to one of the front dome lights. The LED bulbs are so bright that just one lights up the whole front of the car just fine. I tucked some red plastic behind the light cover on the one side. That way, I can turn on JUST a red light while driving to be able to see without it being too bright inside the car. Seems to work pretty well.
WINTER DRIVING:
Yesterday, I had to drive 23 miles to a job. When I woke up in the morning, the temperature was -8 F.
By the time I had actually hit the road it, the temperature was closer to 0F.
I drove half on the freeway and half on slower roads, driving conservatively on both. I ran the heater most of the way, on low. The car was pre-heated before I left.
When I arrived, I just dropped to one tick below half on the fuel meter.
I was able to use the OEM Level 1 charger with an outlet at the location I was using during the day. I got to three ticks above half from the charging during the day. When I left, it was starting to snow. Temperature was around +7F.
I had to do some more work at a different location, which was on my way home anyways. There is one CHAdeMO charger in my area, which would be a side trip, but I could quickly get lots of juice fast, and it meant I could actually USE my heat! I turned the heat on while driving to the fast-charger.
Of course, when I got there, the charger DIDN'T work! For whatever reason, the CHAdeMO would just not run. It didn't even give an error message, just conked out! Only a minute later, somebody else pulled up in an iMiEV. This was sort of weird, as I have NEVER seen another iMiEV in the wild before - I have only otherwise seen them at eco-fairs, EV events, etc. Of course SHE also wanted to use the CHAdeMO, unfortunately with the same problem and the same lack of charging.
One thing that WAS fun is I was able to get a photo of two iMiEVs right next to each other - mine with the LED headlights, and hers with the stock headlights.
I also noticed that the other driver had a fleece steering wheel cover and a lap-blanket. Unlike mine, hers was a plain blanket, rather than a 12V electric heated blanket.
I alerted the owner of the charging station to the problem with CHAdeMO. They have been GREAT supporters of EVs. This is Marshall Autobody in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I did put the car on charge with the J1772 very briefly while trying to figure out what was wrong with the CHAdeMO and writing a post on PlugShare.
After that, it was back on the road to get to the other job. By then, my shoes were a little wet from stepping in and out of the snow. I couldn't run the heat, as I now had LESS than half a charge, and still had up to 30 miles to go that evening. Fortunately, the fact that it was snowing meant that all traffic was driving at a more reasonable speed, so at least I didn't have anyone tailgating me the whole way while I was driving slow. By the time I finally got to where I was going, my feet were cold enough that it was painful. Once inside, I took off my shoes, and shoved paper towels inside them to remove as much moisture as I could. Although I was wearing my new "SmartWool" brand socks, wet and cold is still wet and cold.
I was working at a municipal building for about an hour and a half. The library is just on the other side of the parking lot, and they have electric outlets on the outside of the building. I plugged in the Level 1 charger while I was there. The extension cord had to cross the sidewalk, but I was also at the end parking space, so I figured there should be almost no foot traffic past there. Still, I can imagine being yelled at by librarians for "potential trip hazard".
When I came back out to my car, it was still plugged in, and I had gotten at least a little more juice in it. I still drove home with almost no heater use. I was also using only the side roads and driving slow. Once I was only a few miles from home and could see that I would be able to make it no problem INCLUDING blasting the heat, I really turned it on.
Round-trip travel for the day was 57 miles. BUT that was with charging at any chance I could, freezing my toes off, and making sure to include plenty of extra travel time. It's amazing what a BIG dent the heater puts in the range-o-meter. (Also driving fast. This is a good car to keep OFF the freeway!)
I'm pretty good with a heavy coat, and the electric blanket on my lap is luxurious. However, I still need heat for the defroster, and other than by wearing my big boots (which make it a little hard to operate the pedals) and heated socks, I don't see a reasonable way of getting heat to my toes OTHER than just actually using the heater!
To be fair to the car, the heat works pretty well IF: 1) I'm driving during the day (sunlight DOES make a difference in heat!) 2) The car is preheated (easy to do from home, but not at other places.) 3) I'm not going all that far. As long as I have the range, there's no reason for me NOT to blast the heat the whole time. Even then, the heater just doesn't get as hot as a more typical heater in an ICE car.
If I am just running errands in an after noon, I will pre-heat the car, run the heated seat and the heater. I have plenty of power for some local errands with no concerns about range, then I just recharge when I'm back home. BUT a 20 mile trip becomes 40 mile round trip. Part of that will be on the freeway (further sapping battery) and I need to leave the heat off!
My other concern about winter travel is that, unfortunately, Public EV charging stations are simply NOT reliable. The only charger that I can say 100% certain that it will be available and work IS THE ONE IN MY GARAGE. AND when I made this trip last night, it was also the first time that I've showed up to a charger where somebody else was there ALSO wanting to use the same equipment.
I've been reading through some of the winter weather threads here on MyiMiEV and the fuel heaters are VERY appealing. I think at this point, I just need to decide between the diesel and gasoline version. I have E85 fuel available locally, and I know a guy who makes his own straight ethanol from scratch, so a gasoline-fueled heater might be the way to go, as I can get non-petroleum fuel that will burn in it.
I also do need some new tires, the tread on the tires that came with the car is very thin. Several times, I did intentionally over-accelerate to see how the car would react. Using Eco, instead of Drive, is a good way to reduce torque, kinda like starting in 2nd gear instead of 1st on a manual transmission vehicle.
OVERALL, I really like the Mitsubishi as a nice little economy car, BUT it takes such a hit in the winter! It really needs some insulation and an improved heater! The other thing that I think really makes a difference is simply where you live. In the various heater threads I have read, feelings on the heater vary from "It's fine" to "It's the worst thing ever!". Of course, all the people commenting live in different places, from California to Louisiana to Moscow, Sweden, Canada, or Wisconsin.
What's good heat in one place is NOT good heat in another.
Yesterday, I had to drive 23 miles to a job. When I woke up in the morning, the temperature was -8 F.
By the time I had actually hit the road it, the temperature was closer to 0F.
I drove half on the freeway and half on slower roads, driving conservatively on both. I ran the heater most of the way, on low. The car was pre-heated before I left.
When I arrived, I just dropped to one tick below half on the fuel meter.
I was able to use the OEM Level 1 charger with an outlet at the location I was using during the day. I got to three ticks above half from the charging during the day. When I left, it was starting to snow. Temperature was around +7F.
I had to do some more work at a different location, which was on my way home anyways. There is one CHAdeMO charger in my area, which would be a side trip, but I could quickly get lots of juice fast, and it meant I could actually USE my heat! I turned the heat on while driving to the fast-charger.
Of course, when I got there, the charger DIDN'T work! For whatever reason, the CHAdeMO would just not run. It didn't even give an error message, just conked out! Only a minute later, somebody else pulled up in an iMiEV. This was sort of weird, as I have NEVER seen another iMiEV in the wild before - I have only otherwise seen them at eco-fairs, EV events, etc. Of course SHE also wanted to use the CHAdeMO, unfortunately with the same problem and the same lack of charging.
One thing that WAS fun is I was able to get a photo of two iMiEVs right next to each other - mine with the LED headlights, and hers with the stock headlights.
I also noticed that the other driver had a fleece steering wheel cover and a lap-blanket. Unlike mine, hers was a plain blanket, rather than a 12V electric heated blanket.
I alerted the owner of the charging station to the problem with CHAdeMO. They have been GREAT supporters of EVs. This is Marshall Autobody in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I did put the car on charge with the J1772 very briefly while trying to figure out what was wrong with the CHAdeMO and writing a post on PlugShare.
After that, it was back on the road to get to the other job. By then, my shoes were a little wet from stepping in and out of the snow. I couldn't run the heat, as I now had LESS than half a charge, and still had up to 30 miles to go that evening. Fortunately, the fact that it was snowing meant that all traffic was driving at a more reasonable speed, so at least I didn't have anyone tailgating me the whole way while I was driving slow. By the time I finally got to where I was going, my feet were cold enough that it was painful. Once inside, I took off my shoes, and shoved paper towels inside them to remove as much moisture as I could. Although I was wearing my new "SmartWool" brand socks, wet and cold is still wet and cold.
I was working at a municipal building for about an hour and a half. The library is just on the other side of the parking lot, and they have electric outlets on the outside of the building. I plugged in the Level 1 charger while I was there. The extension cord had to cross the sidewalk, but I was also at the end parking space, so I figured there should be almost no foot traffic past there. Still, I can imagine being yelled at by librarians for "potential trip hazard".
When I came back out to my car, it was still plugged in, and I had gotten at least a little more juice in it. I still drove home with almost no heater use. I was also using only the side roads and driving slow. Once I was only a few miles from home and could see that I would be able to make it no problem INCLUDING blasting the heat, I really turned it on.
Round-trip travel for the day was 57 miles. BUT that was with charging at any chance I could, freezing my toes off, and making sure to include plenty of extra travel time. It's amazing what a BIG dent the heater puts in the range-o-meter. (Also driving fast. This is a good car to keep OFF the freeway!)
I'm pretty good with a heavy coat, and the electric blanket on my lap is luxurious. However, I still need heat for the defroster, and other than by wearing my big boots (which make it a little hard to operate the pedals) and heated socks, I don't see a reasonable way of getting heat to my toes OTHER than just actually using the heater!
To be fair to the car, the heat works pretty well IF: 1) I'm driving during the day (sunlight DOES make a difference in heat!) 2) The car is preheated (easy to do from home, but not at other places.) 3) I'm not going all that far. As long as I have the range, there's no reason for me NOT to blast the heat the whole time. Even then, the heater just doesn't get as hot as a more typical heater in an ICE car.
If I am just running errands in an after noon, I will pre-heat the car, run the heated seat and the heater. I have plenty of power for some local errands with no concerns about range, then I just recharge when I'm back home. BUT a 20 mile trip becomes 40 mile round trip. Part of that will be on the freeway (further sapping battery) and I need to leave the heat off!
My other concern about winter travel is that, unfortunately, Public EV charging stations are simply NOT reliable. The only charger that I can say 100% certain that it will be available and work IS THE ONE IN MY GARAGE. AND when I made this trip last night, it was also the first time that I've showed up to a charger where somebody else was there ALSO wanting to use the same equipment.
I've been reading through some of the winter weather threads here on MyiMiEV and the fuel heaters are VERY appealing. I think at this point, I just need to decide between the diesel and gasoline version. I have E85 fuel available locally, and I know a guy who makes his own straight ethanol from scratch, so a gasoline-fueled heater might be the way to go, as I can get non-petroleum fuel that will burn in it.
I also do need some new tires, the tread on the tires that came with the car is very thin. Several times, I did intentionally over-accelerate to see how the car would react. Using Eco, instead of Drive, is a good way to reduce torque, kinda like starting in 2nd gear instead of 1st on a manual transmission vehicle.
OVERALL, I really like the Mitsubishi as a nice little economy car, BUT it takes such a hit in the winter! It really needs some insulation and an improved heater! The other thing that I think really makes a difference is simply where you live. In the various heater threads I have read, feelings on the heater vary from "It's fine" to "It's the worst thing ever!". Of course, all the people commenting live in different places, from California to Louisiana to Moscow, Sweden, Canada, or Wisconsin.
What's good heat in one place is NOT good heat in another.
Benjamin Nead
Well-known member
Hey Ben . . .
Just logging in to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying your i-MiEV stories of recent weeks. Beyond sharing the same first name and the fact we both
took delivery of used white 2012 i-MiEVs on almost the same day this past November, I think we have a mutual friend ("EV" Jerry Asher, who drives a sky
blue Nissan Leaf.)
Anyway . . . the winters are far lighter here in Arizona. I plugged in early last evening with my 120V EVSE and took on a partial charge until about
midnight. I would have left the plug in all night, but I knew the overnight temperature was going to drop to just below 32 Fahrenheit and I decided to forgo
further charging until tonight, when it isn't going to be quite as cold (I can already hear the laughter and snickering coming from the snowy north.)
But the summers here, when daytime temps regularly top 105 and it's often still past 90 at 10PM: that's when I'm going to be really going to watch
out on how I baby my car around the elements. I'm already getting tips here on windshield shading and routing part of my cabin AC into the battery pack.
My white 2012 has been working out just great, with just about 700 miles added to the odometer since I got it. Considering that I mostly got around on
bicycle this past year and a half - and nursed a 19 year old well-worn Saturn before that - the i-MiEV feels like a luxury ride by comparison.
Just logging in to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying your i-MiEV stories of recent weeks. Beyond sharing the same first name and the fact we both
took delivery of used white 2012 i-MiEVs on almost the same day this past November, I think we have a mutual friend ("EV" Jerry Asher, who drives a sky
blue Nissan Leaf.)
Anyway . . . the winters are far lighter here in Arizona. I plugged in early last evening with my 120V EVSE and took on a partial charge until about
midnight. I would have left the plug in all night, but I knew the overnight temperature was going to drop to just below 32 Fahrenheit and I decided to forgo
further charging until tonight, when it isn't going to be quite as cold (I can already hear the laughter and snickering coming from the snowy north.)
But the summers here, when daytime temps regularly top 105 and it's often still past 90 at 10PM: that's when I'm going to be really going to watch
out on how I baby my car around the elements. I'm already getting tips here on windshield shading and routing part of my cabin AC into the battery pack.
My white 2012 has been working out just great, with just about 700 miles added to the odometer since I got it. Considering that I mostly got around on
bicycle this past year and a half - and nursed a 19 year old well-worn Saturn before that - the i-MiEV feels like a luxury ride by comparison.
hey bennelson - great writeup! Have you considered having your very own website and simply linking to it? Reason I say that is when I think of all the great posts that disappeared when the Aptera forum disappeared. Many years from now you will look upon those posts of yours fondly.
The extension cord as a trip hazard - I regularly charge my Sparrow in weird places, and have a collapsible cone that works well:
http://www.harborfreight.com/collapsible-reflective-emergency-cone-94111.html
If I recall, you may already have one of these.
Turning on the heater appears to hit the RR display by exactly 20% which, we know, can be more or less depending on how far and how fast we drive. If it's of any consolation, the aircon takes a much much smaller bite out of the battery.
You're right, living in fair-weather California I am not at all subjected to the climate stresses you are.
The extension cord as a trip hazard - I regularly charge my Sparrow in weird places, and have a collapsible cone that works well:
http://www.harborfreight.com/collapsible-reflective-emergency-cone-94111.html
If I recall, you may already have one of these.
Turning on the heater appears to hit the RR display by exactly 20% which, we know, can be more or less depending on how far and how fast we drive. If it's of any consolation, the aircon takes a much much smaller bite out of the battery.
You're right, living in fair-weather California I am not at all subjected to the climate stresses you are.
wmcbrine
Well-known member
He does, it's 300mpg.org.JoeS said:
I'm familiar with http://300mpg.org, but I didn't realize that Ben was the domain owner. Thank you for pointing that out.wmcbrine said:
sandange
Well-known member
I cut a entry a carpet and fitted it for the cargo area that folds out to also cover the seats in the down position.
On occasion I have had to place an extension cord across a walk way so I usually place this carpet over the wires to prevent anyone from tripping
On occasion I have had to place an extension cord across a walk way so I usually place this carpet over the wires to prevent anyone from tripping
DonDakin
Well-known member
Hey Ben,
IN the winter:
Very cold, short trip, iMiev -> no problem...
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> cold feet,pain,window fog.... unhappiness.....
Add heated insoles in your boots and it becomes:
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> window fog.... some unhappiness.....
Add Fuel heater and it becomes:
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> no problem (at all)... Different car, Am I still driving an iMiev ?
If you want to appreciate your fuel heater even more then run your iMiev stock for an entire winter (I did that for 2 years.....)
Don.....
IN the winter:
Very cold, short trip, iMiev -> no problem...
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> cold feet,pain,window fog.... unhappiness.....
Add heated insoles in your boots and it becomes:
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> window fog.... some unhappiness.....
Add Fuel heater and it becomes:
Very cold, normal summer time length trip, iMiev -> no problem (at all)... Different car, Am I still driving an iMiev ?
If you want to appreciate your fuel heater even more then run your iMiev stock for an entire winter (I did that for 2 years.....)
Don.....
BarryP
Well-known member
“ freezing my toes off,”
I feel for you. Six months of my year is a cold humid winter. The other 6 months--- is a beautiful summer. We just got over a 3 week below 0F blast. I’ve written other posts on how I handle it. Yes it’s cold. I’ll highlight a few of my other threads:
1. I always wear thin polyester long johns. Since most stores and offices here are at 65F, I don’t burn up.
2. I wear a 800-900 fp down coat. It’s so light, I don’t feel it on but it’s warm!
3. I wear a small hat and a “Seirus Neofleece Combo Scarf”. That works great at keeping the face warm.
4. I wear down mittens.
5. My wife has sewn a double thick packing foam into a towel that we keep on the chair. It insulates me from a cold chair and ironically keeps me cool in the summer. And it’s super comfy.
6. I wear down boots; the North Face Nuptse. Ironically it’s lighter than my Teva sandals I wear in the summer. I wear it with a thin poly liner and and thin wool sock. Not all wool socks are warm. Only certain weaves work and this takes experimentation on what works for you. I change my poly sock every day but wear my same wool sock 7 days in a row before I launder it. The feet breath well and stay warm. When I get to work or someone’s house, my boots just slip off (no buckling, zipping or tying) and I don my sandals.
7. I never wear jeans in the winter. These are just heat suckers. And I never wear jeans in the summer. They’re too heavy. I just wear light polyester pants all year; even when backpacking in the Tetons.
8. Keep the car parked facing south – into the sun.
9. Do your driving and shopping during the day if possible.
10. I just run the defrost long enough to clear the windshields and then turn it off. If the scarfs are on, the windshield doesn’t fog as fast.
My hobby is backpacking and all these ‘stay warm’ tricks come from exploring the Tetons. I use the same winter-wear backpacking clothes around town; dual-use clothing. It’s cheaper that way.
When I dress this warm, I don’t get a cold shock when I get out of the car and into a parking lot. These shocks are hard on the body and invite colds. And I don’t burn up in buildings unless it’s over 75, then off comes the long johns.
And because of this, I don’t need an extra fuel heater. And I don’t even need the heated seat. My wife does the same thing and she enjoys wearing her down coat outside and inside stores. Down covers a big temperature range. She doesn’t like my Seirus scarf and she just wears a standard scarf.
“I also do need some new tires, the tread on the tires that came with the car is very thin. ”
When the tread is thin, this becomes slippery in the winter as I found out last winter. So I put new OEM tires on this winter. They’re great winter tires. I think I still have another 10k miles left from my original OEMs --- which I’ll put back on this summer. I want to milk every last drop out of these expensive tires. Well, they’re not as expensive as an SUV…
Just more thoughts…
Thanks for blogging!
From another cold place
-Barry
I feel for you. Six months of my year is a cold humid winter. The other 6 months--- is a beautiful summer. We just got over a 3 week below 0F blast. I’ve written other posts on how I handle it. Yes it’s cold. I’ll highlight a few of my other threads:
1. I always wear thin polyester long johns. Since most stores and offices here are at 65F, I don’t burn up.
2. I wear a 800-900 fp down coat. It’s so light, I don’t feel it on but it’s warm!
3. I wear a small hat and a “Seirus Neofleece Combo Scarf”. That works great at keeping the face warm.
4. I wear down mittens.
5. My wife has sewn a double thick packing foam into a towel that we keep on the chair. It insulates me from a cold chair and ironically keeps me cool in the summer. And it’s super comfy.
6. I wear down boots; the North Face Nuptse. Ironically it’s lighter than my Teva sandals I wear in the summer. I wear it with a thin poly liner and and thin wool sock. Not all wool socks are warm. Only certain weaves work and this takes experimentation on what works for you. I change my poly sock every day but wear my same wool sock 7 days in a row before I launder it. The feet breath well and stay warm. When I get to work or someone’s house, my boots just slip off (no buckling, zipping or tying) and I don my sandals.
7. I never wear jeans in the winter. These are just heat suckers. And I never wear jeans in the summer. They’re too heavy. I just wear light polyester pants all year; even when backpacking in the Tetons.
8. Keep the car parked facing south – into the sun.
9. Do your driving and shopping during the day if possible.
10. I just run the defrost long enough to clear the windshields and then turn it off. If the scarfs are on, the windshield doesn’t fog as fast.
My hobby is backpacking and all these ‘stay warm’ tricks come from exploring the Tetons. I use the same winter-wear backpacking clothes around town; dual-use clothing. It’s cheaper that way.
When I dress this warm, I don’t get a cold shock when I get out of the car and into a parking lot. These shocks are hard on the body and invite colds. And I don’t burn up in buildings unless it’s over 75, then off comes the long johns.
And because of this, I don’t need an extra fuel heater. And I don’t even need the heated seat. My wife does the same thing and she enjoys wearing her down coat outside and inside stores. Down covers a big temperature range. She doesn’t like my Seirus scarf and she just wears a standard scarf.
“I also do need some new tires, the tread on the tires that came with the car is very thin. ”
When the tread is thin, this becomes slippery in the winter as I found out last winter. So I put new OEM tires on this winter. They’re great winter tires. I think I still have another 10k miles left from my original OEMs --- which I’ll put back on this summer. I want to milk every last drop out of these expensive tires. Well, they’re not as expensive as an SUV…
Just more thoughts…
Thanks for blogging!
From another cold place
-Barry
Sandage: Sure, a rubber backed rug to go over an extension cord. Good idea, nice and simple. I should have thought of that. Also, the extension cord I have is pretty stiff in the cold. I might want to purchase one of the higher quality extension cords that stays extremely flexible in the cold. Otherwise, the cord always keeps some of its coil, so it doesn't lay FLAT crossing a sidewalk, thus ADDING to trip hazard.
DonDakin: I completely agree. Short trips in the iMiEV in the winter are great. I can pre-heat, hop in, drive with heat, it's all great. The longer trips though, yipes!
BarryP: For clothing, I've generally been wearing thermal long underwear with my typical pants over that. Never jeans. I totally agree. I've never been a fan of jeans - terrible when wet, etc. I wear a 3/4 length work coat, which is GREAT in the cold, along with insulated work gloves and one of those really stupid-looking (but warm!) mad hunter hats.
I'm now only wearing wool socks when I use my car. I'm pretty happy with the socks. I like my winter boots, but they are a little bulky. I do NOT want to be hitting the accelerator AND brake at the same time in an emergency, just because my feet are so big!
In general, I've been trying to dress the same for driving my car as when I'm shoveling snow off my driveway. However, at some point, I sure am overdressed for just being in an office or wherever else I happen to be working that day. (I'm self-employed. I end up being in a lot of different places.)
The other thing to think about is Delta-T. That is, what's the DIFFERENCE in temperature between how warm you would like to be vs how warm it actually is.
For example, at 70 degrees F, we are all pretty comfortable in almost any typical clothing - pants, shorts, long-sleeve or short sleeve shirt, shoes and socks, or sandals or barefoot.
But if the temperature is 50 degrees F. you probably don't want to wear shorts and you might want a jacket. At 30 degrees, you better be wearing a coat. That's a DIFFERENCE of 40 degrees (from 70 down to 30)
Two days ago, it was NEGATIVE 8 degrees F, or 78 degrees colder than ideal. Imagine if it was instead 78 degrees HOTTER than ideal - that would be 148 degrees F! Nobody would want to live there! I guess the upside is that we can always put on more clothes (to an extent,) but we can only get so naked!
Anyways, it's dang cold.
Also, I don't think a person should HAVE to wear four layers of clothing over all parts of their body just to go for a car ride! I really wish the car was just warmer! I don't have any qualms about adding a liquid heater - it would use a fraction of the fuel that an I.C.E. wastes, and I can source renewably created liquid fuel. I just don't want to be cold anymore!
Even if not for ME being cold, I still need to keep the windshield from fogging and icing up. On anything other than very short trips, even that KILLS range.
I also have to deal with wind-chill. Yes, I know, technically, "wind-chill" is the FEELING of being colder, but cars also suffer from wind-chill in that heat transfers away FASTER with all that cold moving air - such as driving 55 miles per hour straight in to it. The firewall of the car appears to have ZERO insulation, and there's no big hot engine in the front to block all the cold air coming through the radiator. On a gas car, I would put a radiator block in. In this car, there has been some concern about blocking the radiator (even in winter) due to the motor and power electronics being liquid-cooled through the radiator.
I DO like the 12V electric blanket. It's just a minor hassle to put on my lap and tuck down my legs after I get in the car, and the reverse when I leave. It uses only a very small amount of energy, and it puts the heat where you want it. I highly suggest that all ICE drivers use one in the winter, as it takes so long for an engine to warm up....
I also bought some fancy super-cold windshield washer fluid. It's rated for down to -25F.
And of course, here is me. Looking like a crazy person, because I'm pretty sure that I am crazy to be driving an EV in weather this cold. Here, you can see my fashionable hat, my "Work 'n' Sport" winter coat, and the corner of my heated blanket.
DonDakin: I completely agree. Short trips in the iMiEV in the winter are great. I can pre-heat, hop in, drive with heat, it's all great. The longer trips though, yipes!
BarryP: For clothing, I've generally been wearing thermal long underwear with my typical pants over that. Never jeans. I totally agree. I've never been a fan of jeans - terrible when wet, etc. I wear a 3/4 length work coat, which is GREAT in the cold, along with insulated work gloves and one of those really stupid-looking (but warm!) mad hunter hats.
I'm now only wearing wool socks when I use my car. I'm pretty happy with the socks. I like my winter boots, but they are a little bulky. I do NOT want to be hitting the accelerator AND brake at the same time in an emergency, just because my feet are so big!
In general, I've been trying to dress the same for driving my car as when I'm shoveling snow off my driveway. However, at some point, I sure am overdressed for just being in an office or wherever else I happen to be working that day. (I'm self-employed. I end up being in a lot of different places.)
The other thing to think about is Delta-T. That is, what's the DIFFERENCE in temperature between how warm you would like to be vs how warm it actually is.
For example, at 70 degrees F, we are all pretty comfortable in almost any typical clothing - pants, shorts, long-sleeve or short sleeve shirt, shoes and socks, or sandals or barefoot.
But if the temperature is 50 degrees F. you probably don't want to wear shorts and you might want a jacket. At 30 degrees, you better be wearing a coat. That's a DIFFERENCE of 40 degrees (from 70 down to 30)
Two days ago, it was NEGATIVE 8 degrees F, or 78 degrees colder than ideal. Imagine if it was instead 78 degrees HOTTER than ideal - that would be 148 degrees F! Nobody would want to live there! I guess the upside is that we can always put on more clothes (to an extent,) but we can only get so naked!
Anyways, it's dang cold.
Also, I don't think a person should HAVE to wear four layers of clothing over all parts of their body just to go for a car ride! I really wish the car was just warmer! I don't have any qualms about adding a liquid heater - it would use a fraction of the fuel that an I.C.E. wastes, and I can source renewably created liquid fuel. I just don't want to be cold anymore!
Even if not for ME being cold, I still need to keep the windshield from fogging and icing up. On anything other than very short trips, even that KILLS range.
I also have to deal with wind-chill. Yes, I know, technically, "wind-chill" is the FEELING of being colder, but cars also suffer from wind-chill in that heat transfers away FASTER with all that cold moving air - such as driving 55 miles per hour straight in to it. The firewall of the car appears to have ZERO insulation, and there's no big hot engine in the front to block all the cold air coming through the radiator. On a gas car, I would put a radiator block in. In this car, there has been some concern about blocking the radiator (even in winter) due to the motor and power electronics being liquid-cooled through the radiator.
I DO like the 12V electric blanket. It's just a minor hassle to put on my lap and tuck down my legs after I get in the car, and the reverse when I leave. It uses only a very small amount of energy, and it puts the heat where you want it. I highly suggest that all ICE drivers use one in the winter, as it takes so long for an engine to warm up....
I also bought some fancy super-cold windshield washer fluid. It's rated for down to -25F.
And of course, here is me. Looking like a crazy person, because I'm pretty sure that I am crazy to be driving an EV in weather this cold. Here, you can see my fashionable hat, my "Work 'n' Sport" winter coat, and the corner of my heated blanket.
I had a little time this afternoon, so I played around with the car a bit more.
I still have plenty of the cheap bulk W5w LED bulbs, so I replaced the rear marker lights. To get at those, you have to pull the rear plastic fender liners, reach up in there, twist the bulb holder, and pull it out. Of course, it's winter and snowy here right now, so there was plenty of cold dirty slush (yuck!) covering all those parts!
Once I got the LED bulb in , and buttoned the plastic fender liner all back up, the LED looks pretty stock. It doesn't appear any brighter or dimmer than the standard bulb. It just have ever so slightly different of a look, as the LED bulb has 5 tiny points of light on it, instead of the single source of the incandescent bulb. Since the stock bulb is only 5 watts anyways, if I were someone else, I would not go out of my way to upgrade those to LED, unless you are doing a whole car conversion anyways, or otherwise are doing something else so that you have easy access to those bulbs.
The LED dome lights are still great. I put a piece of red gel in one of the front two lights. This gives me the option at night while driving of turning on either a very bright light OR a dimmer red light. Kinda cool to have a night-vision dome light!
While I was working on the car's lights, I saw a flicker coming from one of the license plate bulbs. So much for long life of LEDs! One of the 5 LEDs on the left bulb was going out. This was the "high-quality" CANBUS bulb I got from SuperBrightLEDs. It was still just a W5w bulb, so I replaced it with one of the many cheap LED bulbs I still had left.
I also realized that I own a thermal camera! (It's an attachment for an iPhone 5.) I played around with a little thermal testing on the car. I let it warm up for 10 minutes using the preheat feature set to defrost. You can CLEARLY see the heater fluid reservoir, the uninsulated hoses to and from that, and the heated mirrors. I almost forgot that the car had heated mirrors. They work so well that I simply have never even thought about them. That's good design for you - when it works right, you don't even notice it. The mirrors are warm to the touch. In the one photo, I have my bare hand next to the mirror - you can clearly see that it's much warmer than skin temperature.
I've also had a chance to think about combustion heaters some more. I LOVE the work that several forum members have done posting their experiences, directions, and photos on doing a fuel-heater upgrade to the car. I am convinced that I want to do an ETHANOL heater. That means that I would purchase the gasoline heater, as opposed to the diesel version. Not only is E85 fuel cheap and readily available in my area, but I also have a friend who has been working with ethanol for a long time. I spoke with him on the phone today. He has a supply of E98 (98% Pure Ethanol) which I could get through him. Since the fuel isn't used in an engine, there's also no need to account for road taxes. The Amish use this fuel in their lanterns. It burns so clean, they can run it inside houses. Ethanol doesn't have some of the safety issues that gasoline does.
I'm pretty sure I want to install the heater in front of the radiator, as several other forum member have. I would like to find a good fuel tank for the system, something that looks nicer than a water bottle. I especially like the go cart fuel tank that user "sandange" used on his blue car. (http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1248&start=70)
I still have plenty of the cheap bulk W5w LED bulbs, so I replaced the rear marker lights. To get at those, you have to pull the rear plastic fender liners, reach up in there, twist the bulb holder, and pull it out. Of course, it's winter and snowy here right now, so there was plenty of cold dirty slush (yuck!) covering all those parts!
Once I got the LED bulb in , and buttoned the plastic fender liner all back up, the LED looks pretty stock. It doesn't appear any brighter or dimmer than the standard bulb. It just have ever so slightly different of a look, as the LED bulb has 5 tiny points of light on it, instead of the single source of the incandescent bulb. Since the stock bulb is only 5 watts anyways, if I were someone else, I would not go out of my way to upgrade those to LED, unless you are doing a whole car conversion anyways, or otherwise are doing something else so that you have easy access to those bulbs.
The LED dome lights are still great. I put a piece of red gel in one of the front two lights. This gives me the option at night while driving of turning on either a very bright light OR a dimmer red light. Kinda cool to have a night-vision dome light!
While I was working on the car's lights, I saw a flicker coming from one of the license plate bulbs. So much for long life of LEDs! One of the 5 LEDs on the left bulb was going out. This was the "high-quality" CANBUS bulb I got from SuperBrightLEDs. It was still just a W5w bulb, so I replaced it with one of the many cheap LED bulbs I still had left.
I also realized that I own a thermal camera! (It's an attachment for an iPhone 5.) I played around with a little thermal testing on the car. I let it warm up for 10 minutes using the preheat feature set to defrost. You can CLEARLY see the heater fluid reservoir, the uninsulated hoses to and from that, and the heated mirrors. I almost forgot that the car had heated mirrors. They work so well that I simply have never even thought about them. That's good design for you - when it works right, you don't even notice it. The mirrors are warm to the touch. In the one photo, I have my bare hand next to the mirror - you can clearly see that it's much warmer than skin temperature.
I've also had a chance to think about combustion heaters some more. I LOVE the work that several forum members have done posting their experiences, directions, and photos on doing a fuel-heater upgrade to the car. I am convinced that I want to do an ETHANOL heater. That means that I would purchase the gasoline heater, as opposed to the diesel version. Not only is E85 fuel cheap and readily available in my area, but I also have a friend who has been working with ethanol for a long time. I spoke with him on the phone today. He has a supply of E98 (98% Pure Ethanol) which I could get through him. Since the fuel isn't used in an engine, there's also no need to account for road taxes. The Amish use this fuel in their lanterns. It burns so clean, they can run it inside houses. Ethanol doesn't have some of the safety issues that gasoline does.
I'm pretty sure I want to install the heater in front of the radiator, as several other forum member have. I would like to find a good fuel tank for the system, something that looks nicer than a water bottle. I especially like the go cart fuel tank that user "sandange" used on his blue car. (http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1248&start=70)
tigger19687
Well-known member
Ben, so the W5W do NOT have to be CANBUS ?? Do you think the flickering was just the connection or the bulb itself.
It looks like there are 12 of the W5W bulbs that can be replaced in this car. I have 10 of the reg ones, not canbus and want to order more for the 'i' and my truck.
I am wondering if it really matters having the CANBUS LED's ? Or would that only apply to the headlights.
How are the Headlights and DRL working out so far ?
It's too cold to do all that now, I can't even get the darn Lic Plate covers off my fingers are too cold! Is there a trick to that ? I would like to do the Lic plate ones now and then the rest come Spring
It looks like there are 12 of the W5W bulbs that can be replaced in this car. I have 10 of the reg ones, not canbus and want to order more for the 'i' and my truck.
I am wondering if it really matters having the CANBUS LED's ? Or would that only apply to the headlights.
How are the Headlights and DRL working out so far ?
It's too cold to do all that now, I can't even get the darn Lic Plate covers off my fingers are too cold! Is there a trick to that ? I would like to do the Lic plate ones now and then the rest come Spring
It doesn't look like any of the marker lights or license plate lights need canbus.
The flickering that I had was from one of the 5 LEDs on that particular bulb being bad.
Headlights and DRL are pretty good so far. I wouldn't mind the LED headlights being a little brighter. When I had my car right next to another iMiEV with stock lights, they looked equally bright, but I think the original lights "read" a little better. I DO like the the look of the LED headlights better. They DO make noise. The LED headlamps have a built-in fan which is audible as a very low hum when the radio and HVAC fan is off. It's quieter than anything on an ICE car, but it can be heard.
I like the LED DRL - nice and bright.
I was surprised to see that the car's owner manual actually shows how to replace all the regular light bulbs. On the license plate lights, you have to squeeze the cover to the left, then pull out the right hand side.
The bulbs that I heard can be a problem are the bulbs in the third brake light. If those are converted to LED, it gives an error through the traction control. Apparently, replacing half of those bulbs with LED, is OK.
The flickering that I had was from one of the 5 LEDs on that particular bulb being bad.
Headlights and DRL are pretty good so far. I wouldn't mind the LED headlights being a little brighter. When I had my car right next to another iMiEV with stock lights, they looked equally bright, but I think the original lights "read" a little better. I DO like the the look of the LED headlights better. They DO make noise. The LED headlamps have a built-in fan which is audible as a very low hum when the radio and HVAC fan is off. It's quieter than anything on an ICE car, but it can be heard.
I like the LED DRL - nice and bright.
I was surprised to see that the car's owner manual actually shows how to replace all the regular light bulbs. On the license plate lights, you have to squeeze the cover to the left, then pull out the right hand side.
The bulbs that I heard can be a problem are the bulbs in the third brake light. If those are converted to LED, it gives an error through the traction control. Apparently, replacing half of those bulbs with LED, is OK.
So it probably looks for a set resistance on the third brake light, which I guess is what the "CANBUS" lights provide as well via dedicated resistor. Correct me if I'm wrong. Having only one traditional lamp in there would of course mean that when that single lamp goes out you'll get the errors immediately. Not a bad idea to have a spare in the car if you change the others to LED. Or maybe you could solder a suitable resistor there and never get the problem?
I shot a video talking about the heating system, including filming some of the car with a THERMAL camera.
Hope you like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljpEaWMdbng
And here's my latest blog post about it.
http://300mpg.org/2016/01/17/electric-car-heater-thermal-imaging/
I ordered the gasoline version of the parking heater the other day and have a lead on getting straight ethanol. I also played around with lighting cotton balls of 70% isopropyl alcohol on fire in my bathroom. Man, that stuff burns great! No smoke!
Hope you like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljpEaWMdbng
And here's my latest blog post about it.
http://300mpg.org/2016/01/17/electric-car-heater-thermal-imaging/
I ordered the gasoline version of the parking heater the other day and have a lead on getting straight ethanol. I also played around with lighting cotton balls of 70% isopropyl alcohol on fire in my bathroom. Man, that stuff burns great! No smoke!
I just knew this was coming, sooner rather than later. I believe it will change your EV experience in a very positive way! Other than the heating system, there's not much to dislike about these carsbennelson said:
Wish I lived where it was cold enough to justify the expense of a parking heater . . . . wait a minute! What am I saying? :roll: I absolutely HATE cold weather! If it snowed here once every ten years, I'd move farther south!! :lol:
Don