I've had a 2012 Nissan Leaf and a 2017 Volt with heated steering wheel and a Tesla MS60 without. I mostly drive the Tesla and miss the heated steering wheel terribly in cold weather. It's a must have for my next car.
32 comments
Like
32 Comments
Commenting on this post isn't available anymore. Contact the site owner for more info.
Definitely would be a nice to have feature, or I'll just wear gloves. I understand they will have to cut costs somewhere, and this doesn't make sense as a luxury vehicle or an only vehicle in most cases anyway. More likely a fair weather commuter for most. If it handles snow and ice better than expected the heated steering should go with it.
https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/602736cfc68d5700185a9293 heated steering wheel can make heating driver much more efficient/quicker process by conductive heating at what is often the most thermally non insulated yet sensitive part of body for perceived cold/hot besides feet and knees an maybe face. the blood at hands being heated and flowing into arms whose muscles move to move steering wheel, and flowing into rest of body, also contribute to heating rest of body better than same energy used in radiation heating like most normal cars.
so there is efficiency reason in making this a standard feature
@Jim Pike P#10339,#13553 , I agree, that's a real problem. My Volt has capacitive switches and no heated steering wheel. I can't even operate the climate controls with my gloves on.
Wow, brave man. I once drove my 2011 Leaf down to 4 miles and had little beads of perspiration breaking out on my forehead. Luckily for me, my last few miles were downhill. I know of someone who drove it down that low and then drove around the block over and over to see what would happen. I guess at some point it changes to turtle mode and screams a little louder. If you ever get down that low, don't turn it off unless you are within reach of a plug. I hear it won't turn on until charged again.
I barely arrived back home at -31C with 4KM remaining on the battery and Siri screaming at me to find a charging station NOW! This was a leisurly @40 km trip to town with my 2012 Nissan Leaf 24KW EV. Hyper mileing all the way back and arrived at my door with the interior heat off for the last 15 minutes. It's very reminiscent of riding on my snowmobile, but I wouldn't actually take that thing out at -31 if I could help it. Having heated seats and steering wheel is an essential option that I'll need in my Aptera.
I asked if Aptera would like me to beta test their car up here in Yukon Territory, Canada and give them some real world data about the challenges of extreme negative temperatures. I hope they take me up on the offer.
I’m in the maritime pacific north west and driving a Leaf for a commute near the edge of its practical range. Not much to spare to deal with the winter chill. I bundle up during the winter in any case so using little or no cabin heat is an easy choice. But the heated steering wheel is key to making that work. A vehicle with a more capacious battery (40 kWh is what I’ve asked for versus the Leaf’s 24) may find me less concerned about that. But I sure have learned to like the heated steer wheel!
Ha Ha! Live in Florida. No heated seats or steering wheel needed here. Feel sorry for you Northen'rs who need these things. You can have as a priced option😜
@retmil91 I recall quite a few nippy days from when I lived in West Palm... Here in MS we have nighttime temps in the mid-upper 30s this time of year and grabbing a cold steering wheel in the morning it not a pleasure. Plus, if you travel to the northern parts of our country, heating the seats and the wheel is more energy-efficient than blowing hot or cold air into the cabin. I'm sure there's many a northerner who would say, "AC? Not needed here!" Adding heating to seats and steering wheels is a negligible expense - adding AC is a great deal more complicated and expensive.
I lived in NJ for 62 yr and never had a heated steering wheel but maybe those winters are not that cold and I have bern lucky. I understand, through my wife’s old skinny hands ...how much it means to her!
It will be interesting to learn how Aptera’s resin-filled sandwich composite body does provide the slight insulation we read about. That along with a preheating option sounds interesting.
I never wore heated gloves and tried to drive with gloves, but maybe that is an option “if needed” for extremely cold regions????
I have a geeky interest in this, too. I used to spec and help build high performance low power refrigeration and air conditioning systems, mostly for boats, but I did a few other interesting projects. I spec'ed and helped build a samples freezer for the ISS. We got the contract because we did a better job of predicting the actual heat loads and had the lowest power requirement. I also did several electric car prototypes. and some military projects. It would be nice to know the insulation value of the outer surfaces of the Aptera and calculate the expected BTUs coming through in extreme conditions. And of course in sizing the AC, don't forget about the heat added by the passengers themselves. My guess is that the 700 watts the solar panel can provide will allow the car to be parked with the AC on in hot climates and still not drain the battery, but I don't have enough information to crunch the numbers.
I ordered a 2017 bmw x1 with winter driving package (heated seats and steering wheel) and adaptive cruise control. When I got it there was no button to turn on the heated steering wheel. Had to send a picture to the dealer to prove it wasn't there. Turned out the heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control were incompatible in the steering column wiring harness. I did get a credit for the lack of heated steering wheel. I'm not sure I care about the feature if I can preheat the Aptera before getting into it.
Like
Unknown member
Dec 06, 2020
Replying to
Thanks for sharing. i3 was a positive milestone in carbon fiber design. Like.I preheat my Bolt EV whenever I can. That said, I always use my heated steering wheel except in the hottest of summer.A heated steering wheel is every more useful when there is no heat pump. :-(
@Jim Pike word on the street is that Tesla is adding a heated steering wheel to the M3 and MY... But I agree: My current vehicle has heated seats but NOT a heated steering wheel so I end up driving with one gloved hand on the wheel and the other shoved into a dash vent - then alternating!
Heated steering should be standard on all models. Heating the cabin to provide comfort for your hands is not efficient. One part for all models just makes sense.
Like
Unknown member
Dec 06, 2020
Replying to
Penny pinchers might not want to pay for it. They need to be respected.
@Rich Rodriguez If I am going to sell my wife on this car, it MUST be comfortable. I w2ould pay extra for a comfort package that included reclining, heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
Like
Unknown member
Dec 05, 2020
Heated steering wheel and heated seats in my mind or essential – they lessen the need for energy in the cabin
Definitely would be a nice to have feature, or I'll just wear gloves. I understand they will have to cut costs somewhere, and this doesn't make sense as a luxury vehicle or an only vehicle in most cases anyway. More likely a fair weather commuter for most. If it handles snow and ice better than expected the heated steering should go with it.
My wife and I use "Sheepswool" steering wheel covers. They are great, and no electricity.
https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/602736cfc68d5700185a9293 heated steering wheel can make heating driver much more efficient/quicker process by conductive heating at what is often the most thermally non insulated yet sensitive part of body for perceived cold/hot besides feet and knees an maybe face. the blood at hands being heated and flowing into arms whose muscles move to move steering wheel, and flowing into rest of body, also contribute to heating rest of body better than same energy used in radiation heating like most normal cars.
so there is efficiency reason in making this a standard feature
@Jim Pike P#10339,#13553 @Ken Kobayashi All of my gloves from Lands End have "capacitive" index finger pads. Land's End Gloves
I just wear a warm pair of gloves. Save the money.
Wow, brave man. I once drove my 2011 Leaf down to 4 miles and had little beads of perspiration breaking out on my forehead. Luckily for me, my last few miles were downhill. I know of someone who drove it down that low and then drove around the block over and over to see what would happen. I guess at some point it changes to turtle mode and screams a little louder. If you ever get down that low, don't turn it off unless you are within reach of a plug. I hear it won't turn on until charged again.
I barely arrived back home at -31C with 4KM remaining on the battery and Siri screaming at me to find a charging station NOW! This was a leisurly @40 km trip to town with my 2012 Nissan Leaf 24KW EV. Hyper mileing all the way back and arrived at my door with the interior heat off for the last 15 minutes. It's very reminiscent of riding on my snowmobile, but I wouldn't actually take that thing out at -31 if I could help it. Having heated seats and steering wheel is an essential option that I'll need in my Aptera.
I asked if Aptera would like me to beta test their car up here in Yukon Territory, Canada and give them some real world data about the challenges of extreme negative temperatures. I hope they take me up on the offer.
I’m in the maritime pacific north west and driving a Leaf for a commute near the edge of its practical range. Not much to spare to deal with the winter chill. I bundle up during the winter in any case so using little or no cabin heat is an easy choice. But the heated steering wheel is key to making that work. A vehicle with a more capacious battery (40 kWh is what I’ve asked for versus the Leaf’s 24) may find me less concerned about that. But I sure have learned to like the heated steer wheel!
Ha Ha! Live in Florida. No heated seats or steering wheel needed here. Feel sorry for you Northen'rs who need these things. You can have as a priced option😜
I lived in NJ for 62 yr and never had a heated steering wheel but maybe those winters are not that cold and I have bern lucky. I understand, through my wife’s old skinny hands ...how much it means to her!
It will be interesting to learn how Aptera’s resin-filled sandwich composite body does provide the slight insulation we read about. That along with a preheating option sounds interesting.
I never wore heated gloves and tried to drive with gloves, but maybe that is an option “if needed” for extremely cold regions????
I ordered a 2017 bmw x1 with winter driving package (heated seats and steering wheel) and adaptive cruise control. When I got it there was no button to turn on the heated steering wheel. Had to send a picture to the dealer to prove it wasn't there. Turned out the heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control were incompatible in the steering column wiring harness. I did get a credit for the lack of heated steering wheel. I'm not sure I care about the feature if I can preheat the Aptera before getting into it.
@Jim Pike word on the street is that Tesla is adding a heated steering wheel to the M3 and MY... But I agree: My current vehicle has heated seats but NOT a heated steering wheel so I end up driving with one gloved hand on the wheel and the other shoved into a dash vent - then alternating!
Heated steering should be standard on all models. Heating the cabin to provide comfort for your hands is not efficient. One part for all models just makes sense.
Heated steering wheel and heated seats in my mind or essential – they lessen the need for energy in the cabin
You might want to add this to the Wish List under "Related Topics" in the right column.
And my wife’s old hands! She has it on year round, even in the 100s of AZ summers! Whatever keeps her happy! And hopefully there for you too!😉