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Karam el Shenawy
January 11, 2023
With this element, electric vehicles could increase their autonomy by up to 15% thanks to less dependence on air conditioning systems.
The comfort elements in the passenger compartment have been increasing over the years. Three decades ago, and even two, to find solutions such as heated seats and steering wheel, the panoramic roof or the electrical regulation of some areas was practically the preserve of high-end models, with many zeros in their sale price and intended for a very select public. Little by little these they have been democratizing as evidenced by the fact that we can find heated seats in segment A vehicles.
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One solution, that of providing heating to areas such as the seats or the steering wheel (in other more select vehicles we even have armrests) than in the case of the electric cars has made it possible to contain what was once one of its great barriers: autonomy. The advantage is that these types of cars have currently made their users live more calmly thanks to figures that move in the area of 400 km, but anything that means having to be carefree about charging is always well received.
That’s what they must have thought in the operations center of ZF because at CES in Las Vegas we have just been presented with an evolution of the seat belt which will surely be very well received by all manufacturers. The German firm has not yet confirmed its serial production, but doing so would increase the autonomy of zero-emission cars by up to 15%. What do we mean? To a heated seat belt.
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Yes, you read that correctly, seat belts could be added to the seats, steering wheel and armrests in the very near future. According to early ZF developments would not affect safety at all of the occupants going mainly to the benefit of the electric range as a whole. And it is that with a maximum power of 70 watts, the conductive fibers that circulate inside the fabric (it is the biggest complication) pThey could get hot up to 40º. This not only has a climatic benefit for whoever activates it, but the heat would end up radiating to the entire driving position, with the possibility of not turning on the air conditioner.
And it is that as you well know, air conditioners are one of the great enemies of autonomy, especially if the car does not have an additional heat pump. In the case of this heated belt, the dependence on these systems would be minimal and could be able to increase the range by 15%, which, translating it into figures, would mean gaining 45 km in a car that approves 300 km. As we say at the moment, its release on the market has not been confirmed, but given the good reception it has had, it is not ruled out at all.
