When the Chevrolet Volt goes on sale at the end of 2010, expect heated seats to be on the list of standard equipment. That may not sound like big news for a car priced around $40,000 (before $7500 federal tax credit) but tush-warming thrones could be key to extending electric driving range when every mile counts.
Engineers say that, in cold weather, it takes the same amount of energy to warm the cabin as it does to move a Volt down the road. While a gas-engine vehicle produces incredible amounts of waste heat that can be used to warm the passenger compartment, a Volt running in electric mode will need to create heat using electricity from the battery—electricity that would otherwise be adding to the vehicle’s electric range.
Heating air and blowing it into the cabin is a relatively inefficient way to warm occupants, and the Volt team claims that a heated seat leads passengers to rely less on the blower and reduce the total energy consumption used to control the cabin climate. Chevrolet hasn’t confirmed that heated seats will be standard equipment, but in an effort to approach the 40-mile electric range in cold weather, such a feature appears to be inevitable.
Conventional seats feature heating coils which warm up the seat. In some cars, the thickness and weight of the coils can feel bulky and problems can arise if the coils are damaged. These problems, though, are solved by the car seat with heat-emitting material.
Optima’s heated seats employ a new technology that imprints an electricity-conducting material in a nanometer layer in the fabric and then uses the resistance difference between the materials to create heat.
Compared to conventional heated seats, the new seats are 50% thinner and take half the time to heat (the length of time it takes for the seat to reach up to 25℃). Additionally, it boasts 99.9% anti-bacterial properties and radiates far infrared rays, which helps reduce fatigue levels for the driver, in addition to providing warmth.
For the summer months, driving for extended periods of time in warm weather can produce unpleasant moisture at contact points between the body and the seat. Optima is equipped with ventilation seats that send cool indoor air to the driver and passenger in the front row. (Editor’s note: Options might differ by regions)
The ventilation seat works to reduce moisture and heat from the body by sending air flow towards the hips and back area through a ventilation fan and interior ducts.
Compared to intake-type seats usually offered by other automakers, the ventilation seat system in the Optima blows air to cool away any sweat much faster.
When the ventilation seat is in operation for 20 minutes, humidity levels can be reduced by approximately 30%. The temperature of body parts in contact with the seat can be lowered by 3℃ in just 3 minutes. The application of a multilevel ventilation mechanism provides added comfort and convenience as the driver can adjust the ventilation level to either high or low.
