Electric cars - heating

[coolhands]

I was thinking this morning, as my car idled for 1/2 hour to defrost, how on earth would an all electric car cope with bad weather like we've got at the mo? The amount of energy required to defrost windscreens and heat the car on your journey must be pretty huge.

I had my heater going full blast all the way to work...

[G]

I'm sure car fans could be a lot more efficient power-wise.
Similar issues with decent head lights at night, etc - in the end, it's still quite small compared to the power needed to move a car at a decent speed.

[stinkwheel]

It's going to be plugged in to the mains overnight anyway.

Presumably you'll just set a timer the night before and it'll be sat there all warm and defrosted ready for you to fall down the stairs with a slice of toast in your mouth.

Of course, this wont count towards their energy consumption...
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Itchy]

[G]

Every car I've had has only used engine heat with no additional heaters (bar rear screen), though some do have them.

However, it's the fans that use a lot of power. Someone had mounted one in the rear of my van and it could drain the battery really quickly.

[coolhands]

I thought it was the actual heater (as in the elements) not that fan that consumed most of the electricity?

[Gone]

Why would you want to heat a milk float, they have open cabs anyway.

[G]

[Phoenix]

[Itchy]