I’m sure no one has ever thought much about this, I know I haven’t but how is the new Nissan leaf and Chevy Volt cars going to heat its passengers in the winter time? I was reading an article this morning and was kind of stumped? There right how is the Nissan leaf going to heat its passengers, the Chevy Volt still has an internal combustion engine so that’s a no brainier. It will blow air to keep the cabin warm through the heater core just like any other gas car.

But the Nissan Leaf has one problem, it doesn’t have an internal combustion engine it is just battery power. The experts say that the car will come with heated seats and the cabin heat will be provided by resistance heating. Resistance heating is where an electric current is passed through a conductor and the resistance the conducter gives produces the heat. Kind of like the heating elements on space heaters. The Nissan Leaf will also have a cold weather option that will come with a heated steering wheel. Nissan says that with the heated seats and steering wheel that it will make the occupants feel warmer and not have to use the blower to heat the cabin. I don’t like this theory and I think most people will have the heat blasting even if it is just to defrost the windows.

This is all fine and dandy but what is it going to do for the gas mileage of these cars? I’m sure that the Nissan Leaf mileage will suffer greatly because of this. The word on the street is that at 15 degrees Fahrenheit the Leaf will get about 62 Miles per charge in stop and go traffic. On a normal day where it is in normal operating temperatures which I think is 68 degrees Fahrenheit the Leaf gets about 100 miles per charge. Thats a 38% reduction in mileage.

I’m all for green energy and helping the planet but this car just doesn’t seem like a good trip car, and maybe an ok daily driver if work isn’t that far away. But when it comes winter time, it may be time to get the gas guzzler out and keep your self warm while driving.