Pre-heat

[pintofale]

Hi there, anyone know if the new Jazz can be pre-heated, either via app or on a timer, like the Leaf?  This would be handy in winter and potentially a huge plus.
Similarly pre-cooling with air con in the summer in EVs like the Leaf is super handy.

[Expatman]

The Jazz is a hybrid powertrain and cannot either be pre-heated or pre-cooled. Heating is dependent on the ICE so needs to be started and run for some minutes before cabin heating is available - heated seats and heated rear screen standard on many models to mitigate the warm up time of the ICE. You can always start the car then retire inside for a few minutes while it warms up - only do this if you have secure off street parking of course!

[TiJazz]

Yeah - the battery isn’t big enough to pre heat the car. It’s also a traditional heater not a heat pump, so needs the heat from the ICE.

[John Ratsey]

You can always start the car then retire inside for a few minutes while it warms up - only do this if you have secure off street parking of course!

Then you emerge a few minutes later to discover that the engine is off because the battery is fully charged! Or maybe it will keep running because the cabin is cold? The heated seats help the warm-up and also add a bit of load to the electrics. While I would have preferred to have the A/C running as a heat pump, one simple measure would have been to put an electric heating element in the air vent at the bottom of the windscreen so there would be an instant supply of hot air for demisting / defrosting. I'm somewhat disappointed that Honda didn't give more thought to efficient winter operation. Fortunately, my winter mileage is a small part of the annual total.

[Expatman]

You can always start the car then retire inside for a few minutes while it warms up - only do this if you have secure off street parking of course!
[ While I would have preferred to have the A/C running as a heat pump, one simple measure would have been to put an electric heating element in the air vent at the bottom of the windscreen so there would be an instant supply of hot air for demisting / defrosting. I'm somewhat disappointed that Honda didn't give more thought to efficient winter operation. Fortunately, my winter mileage is a small part of the annual total.

The simplest solution would have been a heated windscreen, that way it deals with both frost and condensation easily.

[JazzMusic]

Some used a 'hotfrog' engine heater in the past. Not sure if possible in the Jazz.

[jazzaro]

Yes, a pre-heater can be installed.

https://www.defa.com/electrical-preheating/engine-heaters/find-engine-heater/
http://old.defa.com/vfp/eh/412232.pdf

This is an electric heater, used to warm the coolant inside the engine block, so the whole engine. The car must be plugged to the 220v grid, then a timer or an app controlled switch will power the heater.

[sparky Paul]

Yes, a pre-heater can be installed.

https://www.defa.com/electrical-preheating/engine-heaters/find-engine-heater/
http://old.defa.com/vfp/eh/412232.pdf

This is an electric heater, used to warm the coolant inside the engine block, so the whole engine. The car must be plugged to the 220v grid, then a timer or an app controlled switch will power the heater.

I was toying with the idea of fitting one of these Defa block heaters a few years ago, but the cost put me off a bit. At the time, I had a big MPV, and it took an age to warm up in winter, clobbering the fuel economy on the short school runs.

As usual, the Chinese are now churning out universal units that can be plumbed in for a fraction of the price. They look like a rip-off of the Kenlowe Hotstart idea.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-240V-3000W-Car-Engine-Heater-Coolant-Heating-Air-Parking-Pre-Heater-1pcs/363222865403

You can get them much cheaper on Aliexpress.

[JazzMusic]

To be realistic, those engine block heaters have been invented to even have chance to start an engine after an arctic cold night like -20 or -30 degrees C.
During our winters, it's not necessary. If the car is stored in a comfty garage with 0-10 degrees C it won't save tons of fuel either.
And most owner who fitted a hot 'Kermit' gave up after a while fidling with the 220V cable.

One additional note: the engine heats itself and the battery pack up. If the engine is already warm, does it warm up the battery pack? I guess no. This could be contraproductive.

[sparky Paul]

To be realistic, those engine block heaters have been invented to even have chance to start an engine after an arctic cold night like -20 or -30 degrees C.
During our winters, it's not necessary. If the car is stored in a comfty garage with 0-10 degrees C it won't save tons of fuel either.

That's true, but I would have fitted one for convenience and comfort, more than anything.

On our old Ford Galaxy, I would have certainly appreciated the faster cabin heating and demisting. On cold winter days, you would only start to get warm air after several miles, and the interior of the car would still be cold. All the diesel versions of the car actually had a Webasto coolant heater fitted as standard, as the engine didn't produce enough heat to get itself up to operating temperature in cold weather.

Fuel economy was down from 30mpg to 20mpg when doing these runs exclusively, I was seriously considering fitting one when petrol was approaching £1.40 a litre in the UK. In 30-odd years of driving, I've never once put a car in a garage.

However, the Jazz HEV is a very different vehicle, and it may not make any appreciable difference to the fuel economy. As for warming the battery, I would have thought a pre-heater would help with that as soon as the system started up.

[TnTkr]

Here, where the block heaters are more or less standard equipment on every car, it is commonly stated, that there is economical sense to pre-heat if temperature is below approximately +5 C. However, block heater can be combined with an interior heater for comfortability.

[JazzMusic]

I might got lazy over the years but the only device I'd mount would be a programmable parking heater, with a smartphone connectivity. It will consume more fuel but you can switch it on any time you like, having a warm engine and a warm interior. But I can't justify it for only 1-2 months below 0 degrees C.

[Jocko]

My car is garaged every night, and the garages are below flats, so only the door is subject to the elements. No matter how cold it is here, my blue light goes out, and the heater is ready to use, after 1.2 miles.

[sparky Paul]

The little Jazz soon warms up, and does a few more mpg than the thing I was running.

My idea was to put a dedicated socket under the carport, with a timer set to come on for an hour or so before departing... and try not to forget it's plugged in 

[Kremmen]

My Civic is garaged and I run a descicant dehumidifier to keep the garage at about 70% max humidity. Nice not to have to defrost the glass.