Heat Pump Upgrade for 2012 and Previous

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WiredForStereo

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Joined
Sep 13, 2013
Messages
19
I was unfortunate enough to take the fantastic deal that was available in January of this year in which dealers (and Nissan) were eager to get rid of stock on hand before releasing the 2013 model.

This left me with a vehicle which I like but shortchanges me on winter range due to the electric resistance heating. And since this vehicle's value has now dropped to less than half of what I paid for it (nine months ago), there's just about no chance I will be selling it any time soon. Also I'm in Arkansas and own the only one I've ever seen (beside the new one at the dealership), suffice it to say, there is also no demand.

So it must be upgraded. I cannot find any evidence of a heat pump retrofit. This shouldn't be a big deal, the product just needs to be available, even from Nissan.

I've already upgraded the EVSE and a new horn is in the mail. But this seems like such an obvious need.
 
The dealerships seem to not like the electric car due to not making them money like the gas burners... If upgrades are offered by nissan through dealerships, this would open up a whole new area of potential income... I wouldn't hold my breath though. :)
 
WiredForStereo said:
So it must be upgraded. I cannot find any evidence of a heat pump retrofit. This shouldn't be a big deal, the product just needs to be available, even from Nissan.
I've already upgraded the EVSE and a new horn is in the mail. But this seems like such an obvious need.
Click to expand...

I admire your enthusiasm, but (even if you could get the parts) I doubt a heater upgrade is anywhere near as simple as the EVSE or horn :?

You shouldn't have too cold of winters in Arkansas, right? I mean it's not far from TX, and I hardly ever use the heater.
 
Other than bundling up, the only other suggestion I have is to install some aftermarket seat warmers (at least for the front seats). Looking online the self install for the seat warmers doesn't look that difficult. :)
 
Actually, it is quite a big deal and simply not practical or economically feasible to do after the fact. A better solution would be an electric vest or the like. Since yours is a 2012, I assume that it has the cold weather package already with heated seats and steering wheel...

WiredForStereo said:
So it must be upgraded. I cannot find any evidence of a heat pump retrofit. This shouldn't be a big deal, the product just needs to be available, even from Nissan.
Click to expand...
 
A couple of things:

As others have said, changing the 2012 heater to a heat pump is not practical. However, you can reduce the need for the cabin heater by preheating while plugged-in. Also, if you want to be able to run the fan for defogging without use of the heater I suggest that you purchase Ingineer's Climate Control Unit mod. This will allow you to use the CC system with the heater (and AC) off.

I find that I don't need the cabin heater much because I preheat, dress warmly in winter, and the seat and, especially, the steering wheel heaters keep me comfortable. It depends on your personal comfort level and how you dress in winter.
 
I think a couple people have reported better heater efficiency after they've insulated the heating lines. I'm hoping to find some time to do this myself before winter. pics available here

But frankly, I just dress warmly & use the seat & steering wheel heaters.
 
Stanton said:
You shouldn't have too cold of winters in Arkansas, right? I mean it's not far from TX, and I hardly ever use the heater.
Click to expand...
I get that all the time. That's northwest Arkansas, and you'd be surprised. A couple years ago, we got -20.

I do know such a conversion would be difficult. But I'm ambitious. I'm keeping this car for the long haul and planning a move to a much colder climate.

I do have the cold weather package. I wish the steering wheel stayed on rather than modulating. It usually turns off about half way to work then on again right as I get there.

I'm interested in efficiency. I saved 600 gallons of propane a year in my home by switching to a heat pump (among other things). Had I known heat pumps would be available, I would have waited for 2013, saying nothing of the price drop. It's that big of a deal for me. It's not like a regular car. Every bit of power you use away from home is more or less the power you use in your home. This is Arkansas. There are no usable public charging stations here. Heat costs whether it is warm whether I get in or not.
 
As a less effective but *much* easier second choice, look into the "Heater In A Box" topic here. I made a prototype for a cabin heating system that uses a separate storage battery and much smaller ceramic heaters. It can be customized with larger heaters and a larger battery - possibly even a 'Leaf cell storage battery' made by connecting Leaf battery cells bought aftermarket.. The advantage is that it draws no power at all from the traction battery pack.
 

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