DKunch Posted November 15, 2015 at 02:52 PM Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 at 02:52 PM Hey guys, New to the vehicle and electric vehicles. Day 2 of plugging the car in and the first day of early morning driving. Had the car set to pre condition at 7:35 and it worked great the car was not quite defrosted all the way but the car was nice and warm in the morning. But when it was time to drive, I wanted to drive to work (7.5 Miles) in EV Now mode and use 0 gas. Well it said due to defrost engine is enabled. and I couldn't get it to go back to EV Now electric til 3.5 miles into the trip to work. So my question is what is the best way to handle cold mornings? Just remote start it so that it defrosts all the windows (all my settings are set to defrost everything and warm the seats) or do I continue to pre condition it and adjust a setting? Thanks in advance, I love this car but im just trying to fine tune all these new features that I am learning about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted November 15, 2015 at 03:22 PM Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 at 03:22 PM (edited) Hey guys, New to the vehicle and electric vehicles. Day 2 of plugging the car in and the first day of early morning driving. Had the car set to pre condition at 7:35 and it worked great the car was not quite defrosted all the way but the car was nice and warm in the morning. But when it was time to drive, I wanted to drive to work (7.5 Miles) in EV Now mode and use 0 gas. Well it said due to defrost engine is enabled. and I couldn't get it to go back to EV Now electric til 3.5 miles into the trip to work. So my question is what is the best way to handle cold mornings? Just remote start it so that it defrosts all the windows (all my settings are set to defrost everything and warm the seats) or do I continue to pre condition it and adjust a setting? Thanks in advance, I love this car but im just trying to fine tune all these new features that I am learning aboutIf Front Defrost is set to Auto in the remote start settings, the car may turn on the ICE when you remote start. When driving, try to avoid selecting defrost only or Max Defrost, as this may force the ICE to turn on. I will usually select feet or panel vents first, & then select defrost. by keeping the air flow split between the windshield & another vent, the car doesn't force the ICE on. Are you preconditioning with a L2 EVSE or the L1 cable that comes with the car? Setting the Go Time temp to 85 will help get the car as warm as possible before you leave home in the winter. Edited November 15, 2015 at 03:23 PM by Hybridbear jeff_h 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKunch Posted November 15, 2015 at 03:44 PM Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 at 03:44 PM Im using the charging cord that came with the car the level 1. Yea I had it set to precondition at 85 degrees and it had the front wind shield defrosted but the rear was still frosted. If I use the remote start that will force the ICE to come on while its starting.... But will that allow the car to go to full electric mode once I get in and the windows are fully defrosted? and I don't have to run the rear defroster while I drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted November 16, 2015 at 02:23 PM Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 at 02:23 PM Im using the charging cord that came with the car the level 1. Yea I had it set to precondition at 85 degrees and it had the front wind shield defrosted but the rear was still frosted. If I use the remote start that will force the ICE to come on while its starting.... But will that allow the car to go to full electric mode once I get in and the windows are fully defrosted? and I don't have to run the rear defroster while I drive? The L1 EVSE can only put out ~1400 watts. When preconditioning, about 800 watts go to overhead (fans, computers, etc). That leaves only about 600 watts for the electric heating element. That's why you'll find there isn't much heat when preconditioning on L1. I don't think preconditioning will ever turn on the rear defrost, it only runs the HVAC system. Preconditioning should not discharge the HVB, or result in minimal discharge when plugged in to L1. Remote starting will turn on front & rear defrost (along with heated seats & heated steering wheel, if equipped) per the settings you choose on the left dash screen. Remote starting may turn on the ICE if you have front defrost set to Auto. If front defrost is set to Off, the car should not turn on the ICE during a remote start event unless the ambient temp is below 0 F. Remote starting will use the full 5200+ watts that the heating element can pull. This is more than the car can pull from any EVSE, L1 or L2. Thus, remote starting will always discharge the HVB, even when plugged in. The rear defroster pulls several hundred watts, so it's best to run it only when needed. bwheetley and lonzo71 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKunch Posted November 17, 2015 at 08:15 PM Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 at 08:15 PM Thanks hybridbear.... What I have been thinking is ill just use the remote start to get the rear and front windows defrosted and use the ICE for that hopefully and then when I get in to drive. my back and front windows will be defrosted so I wont have use to that while I drive.. Allowing me to be able to use just the HVB for my drive . Am I in the right ballpark or will this actually drain the HVB as well? Im realizing that in the winter the mileage you will get out of the HVB is dramatically lower from what I am reading. But hey on my short 7 mile drive to work if I can make it there and a little bit on the way home without using gas ... im a happy man lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openair Posted November 17, 2015 at 08:30 PM Report Share Posted November 17, 2015 at 08:30 PM Yes, using the remote start will drain the HVB while plugged in. Using the remote start to run the ice to warm the vehicle to avoid running the ice while driving the vehicle will cost more in gas and electricity than using the ice while driving. Hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKunch Posted November 18, 2015 at 02:37 PM Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 at 02:37 PM Yeah I found that out this morning lol. Had it plugged in and had it remote start and I came out and 1/4 of my battery power had already been used. Im thinking maybe if I precondition the car to 85 and then remote start to get rear defrosters going and have the front defrosters off and the heated seats off and all that maybe it wont use as much battery since it wont have to work as hard to get it up to temperature. I really appreciate all the help with this. I am enjoying this car a lot and its all about finding that perfect combination for morning preparation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted November 18, 2015 at 05:25 PM Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 at 05:25 PM Yeah I found that out this morning lol. Had it plugged in and had it remote start and I came out and 1/4 of my battery power had already been used. Im thinking maybe if I precondition the car to 85 and then remote start to get rear defrosters going and have the front defrosters off and the heated seats off and all that maybe it wont use as much battery since it wont have to work as hard to get it up to temperature. I really appreciate all the help with this. I am enjoying this car a lot and its all about finding that perfect combination for morning preparation. An L2 EVSE would make a big difference. Have you considered installing a 240V circuit? When my parents bought their Energi in 2013 they weren't sure about spending the money for a 240V connection. We determined that you'll never recoup the expense through the higher charging efficiency or the potential extra EV miles through charging quickly. But, the increase in comfort from preconditioning made the investment a no-brainer for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKunch Posted November 19, 2015 at 02:58 AM Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 at 02:58 AM I had thought about it ....but I'm only leasing the vehicle so it doesn't make much sense to put the money out for it . So my experiment for tmrw is to turn off the Front defroster, and heated seats and remote start for 5 minutes before I leave, but also precondition to 85 degrees in hopes that the preconditioning will defrost the front windshield and the remote start will use less energy only having to defrost the rear window. I'm thinking I also could probably turn off the heat/ac as well since that is what the precondition is for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted November 19, 2015 at 02:31 PM Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 at 02:31 PM Have you check with your state? Some states, like Maryland, gives you some money back on it and the install. Every bit helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted November 19, 2015 at 03:00 PM Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 at 03:00 PM I had thought about it ....but I'm only leasing the vehicle so it doesn't make much sense to put the money out for it .You may find that you enjoy driving electric so much that you'll want a second PHEV or BEV in the family or that after the lease is up that you'll be getting another EV. In that case it would make sense to spend the money now. You would also want to buy a higher capacity EVSE in that case that could charge a future vehicle faster than the 3.3 kW limit of the Energi. When does your lease end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKunch Posted November 19, 2015 at 05:41 PM Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 at 05:41 PM (edited) My lease is up in 3 years.... I will admit I am really enjoying this car and that's saying something coming from owning a 2010 Camaro and trading it in for this and its a definite possibility of purchasing one after this is up... I heard that Delaware does offer a rebate for that but I have to look into it. If I could get a rebate on it I would def think about it a lot more. If I were to purchase an EV car after this lease is up I 100% would have the fast charger installed without question Edited November 19, 2015 at 05:41 PM by DKunch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted November 19, 2015 at 07:42 PM Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 at 07:42 PM http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/energy/Pages/The-Delaware-EVSE-Rebate-Program.aspx http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/all?state=DE "500 is available for each qualified Level 1 or Level 2 EVSE." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp22911@yahoo.com Posted November 22, 2016 at 09:22 PM Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 at 09:22 PM How do you set the seat heaters to come on during cold weather remote start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted November 22, 2016 at 10:17 PM Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 at 10:17 PM How do you set the seat heaters to come on during cold weather remote start?There are settings in the left screen menus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp22911@yahoo.com Posted November 23, 2016 at 02:57 PM Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 at 02:57 PM I have all the pertinent options, including seat heater for both seats, set to AUTO yet the seat heaters do not come on. Any ideas what I may be missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp22911@yahoo.com Posted November 23, 2016 at 05:03 PM Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 at 05:03 PM (edited) I found this in a post from 2013: Posted 12 December 2013 - 12:18 PMAnswering my own post... Yes, the heated seats come on when you use Remote Start. When you get in the car and "start" it for real, they will appear off, as usual. But they do come on when the car is in Remote Start mode. Very nice! Dave So this explains why they seem to not be working - they are until you start the car manually. Edited November 29, 2016 at 03:13 PM by bp22911@yahoo.com edwarj3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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