2019 EGolf heater operation

[MetalMan]

I have a 2019 EGolf with standard heat (no heat pump). I haven't used the heat much, but I assume the coolant heater runs full blast to heat the circuit then if you lower the desired cabin temperature it mixes in cool air. If you get it warmed up and then turn the system off the heating circuit is at full temp and will cool wasting off the heat, so it looks very inefficient. If some one has a better understanding of the system let me know.

So what I would like it to be able to keep the temperature all the way up and manually turn off the heating element and continue to run the fan to draw out the heat in the system and then turn the element back on as needed. Does anyone know a way to do this?

For my 2012 Leaf I have a modified climate control panel that lets you do just that. I can toggle the heater off at will using the A/C button or the rear defrost button.

 

[f1geek]

Why not just keep the temperature at, say 70 F (or 65 F) , instead of 80 F, and then the heater won't run at full blast? I suspect the heater cycles on and off to reach your desired temperature as is typical with most PID controllers (as I suspect is in any modern car with a digital temperature controller). Turning the element on manually will probably actually use more energy than letting the PID controller keep the temperature in the car constant.

 

[MetalMan]

I don't know if that's how it works. On a liquid fueled car the heater core is full hot and then cool air is blended to lower the air to the desired temp. I don't know how they have this set up on the EGolf. The easy thing for VW to do would be to do it same way even though it's bad for the range.

 

[f1geek]

Look under the hood. You will see the heater is connected to the power electronics (with bright orange high voltage and amperage wiring). This is nothing like an fossil gobbler. No, it is not easy for VW to control temperature the same way because the e-Golf is not wasting most of its fuel (as do fossil gobblers) and does not have a ton of waste heat that needs to be removed so the engine doesn't melt. The heater on an e-Golf is using battery power to warm the interior of the car. The drive train of any EV is extremely efficient, and has very little waste heat to use to heat the cabin - this is why EVs are up to 10 times more efficient than the standard fossil gobbling SUV. For example, a Ford Flex averages 18 mpg. The way I drive, I average 180 mpg around town in my e-Golf - much of this difference is due to the wasting of 60% to 70% of the energy content of gasoline as heat (great for heating a cabin) while the e-Golf IPM motor is above 90% efficient.

 

[mpulsiv]

Why not just keep the temperature at, say 70 F (or 65 F) , instead of 80 F, and then the heater won't run at full blast? I suspect the heater cycles on and off to reach your desired temperature as is typical with most PID controllers (as I suspect is in any modern car with a digital temperature controller). Turning the element on manually will probably actually use more energy than letting the PID controller keep the temperature in the car constant.

I'm unsure how guess-o-meter reflect on heat temperature but range drop is the same between 70 - 87 degrees. Past that, HI setting (e.g. 88 degrees) will drop your jaw

 

[MetalMan]

I've checked a little bit with an inferred thermometer and there are different levels of heater output so just setting the cabin temp to a relatively low setting may be somewhat efficient. If the system is warmed up and you lower the temp there is no doubt it adds cool air to get to the lower temp. I would still like a way to run the fan when the system is warmed up without adding cold air or running the electric heater. Again, if anyone has any more info on how this system, along with the motor cooling works, I would like to hear it.

 

[JoulesThief]

If you want more range per recharge, dress appropriately for the weather, and only heat up the layer of air that's close to your skin. In other words, layer up your clothing so you aren't cold and don't need the heater or seat warmer.

 

[MetalMan]

I insulated my heater hoses.

 

[f1geek]

Nice insulting job. Did you notice an improvement in range?

 

[MetalMan]

I haven't really used it yet. When it comes down to it it probably doesn't do much. It just seems like the right thing to do. I'm going to do the tank heater also.

 

[MetalMan]

Does anyone know what precautions should be followed to unplug the orange cable on the tank heater?

 

[f1geek]

Orange cables are high voltage - did you notice the attached tags with the pictures of a person being electrocuted? My suggestion is to NOT touch them if you need to ask what precautions to take. Then again, if you successfully survive the procedure, please let us know what you did. Good luck!

 

[EasyValue]

What is a “tank heater” anyway?

 

[MetalMan]

Orange cables are high voltage - did you notice the attached tags with the pictures of a person being electrocuted? My suggestion is to NOT touch them if you need to ask what precautions to take. Then again, if you successfully survive the procedure, please let us know what you did. Good luck!

I know they are high voltage and I also know there is a correct procedure for handling it. I would like some info on that please. The people who build and service these cars have had to ask and learn, that is what I am trying to do.

The tank heater is the heater on the firewall for the cabin heat.

 

[MetalMan]

So I'm answering my initial question of how to turn off the electric heater and still use the fan to draw out the heat from the system. ECO+ does just that if you let the system heat and keep the CC temp adjusted up and put the car in ECO+ everything still works except the heating element. The interior fan and coolant circulation pump will continue to run and you can use up the heat in the heater circuit.
At lower CC temp settings ( like 70 or lower) the circulation pump does shut off. You can't adjust the CC temp in ECO+ so you have to set it how you want it before changing modes.

 

[f1geek]

Great - thanks for the update. It does say this in the manual for my car: "Climatronic heating and cooling functions switch off. The ventilation and defrost features are still available." This suggests to me that you can still get heat in Eco+ mode, but you need to be pushing air to the windshield. This can always be verified by test. I don't like driving in Eco+ (unless absolutely necessary to preserve range) due to the super slow accelerator pedal response and, in my opinion, too little power provided to the traction motor.