Waste Heat from REX Engine

[Electrify]

It's interesting that the REX relys soley on resistive heating while the BEV has the very cool heat pump. I was wondering if there is any sort of system on the REX that uses waste heat from the engine to heat the cabin. It seems like a simple fan drawing air from a heat sink would do the trick vs. a more complicated liquid heater core system. This would obviously only work once the REX kicks on, but it would preserve more power to drive the wheels.

What do you think?

I think the only two things I'll miss from the ICE world are the range (obviously), and the ability to heat the cabin to my heart's content using WASTE from the engine (ie no decrease in efficiency past the small draw of the fan.) I often drive without a coat in the winter just because I can make my car so comfortable.

(p.s. I'm a couple weeks out on delivery of my REX.)

 

[fullspeed]

Cabin preconditioning is a nice feature you can use to avoid battery drain (if the car is plugged in while heating). Put the i Remote app on your phone, and turn the heat on a half hour before you depart. Not perfect if you're making a lot of stops to show houses, but pretty good otherwise. I've read the seat heat is a little more efficient than the HVAC is once your conditioned cabin cools off. With Rex, you really don't need to worry about range though, so crank that heat and be comfy. This car may have a few things to adjust to but it's so much more evolved than an ICE, IMO.