PTC Heater

OK this is a new thing to me too, it is an electric cabin heater that uses a ceramic element as opposed to the more usual system of using heat from the engine cooling system.

Land Rover claims it's the first application of PCTH in an SUV. I've done some googling and good old google doesn't even find a pageful of hits and it seems a very clever way to heat the cabin and now I see why there is no Park Heat with timer option as PCTH gives you almost instant hot air even with no engine heat available. I asked on another forum and apparently VW has used the system for a few years on some Golf's - anybody got any experiences of it! You can read more about how it work here
http://www.dbk-usa.com/heating-products/ptc-heaters

Strange, in Belgium we do have Park Heat programmable through the touch screen (Dynamic / Prestige) or key (Pure)? It's € 1650.

I have Park Heat with programmable and remote control on the FFRR. Wasn't overly impressed by it this winter as it didn't seem to warm the cabin that much on really cold mornings even leaving it to run for the full 30minutes. The heated steering wheel and seats were much more useful and quicker to warm me up!

I've heard its major objective is not to warm you but to warm the engine. Apparently cold starts take away 25% of your car's lifespan.
On most Northern European cars it's standard because they save it on warranty claims.

Won't be needed Down Under.

Any new tech to cool it down instead?

Actually Park Heat in the FFRR will also pre-cool the cabin. All the more modern Land Rovers I've owned since my Freelander1 have had the fuel burning heater as standard but I was told it was for cold start emissions not engine longevity. The FFRR system is supposed to warm the cabin up too once it has heated the coolant and engine block through

(14-04-2011 05:46pm)FullFatTim Wrote:  Actually Park Heat in the FFRR will also pre-cool the cabin.

How does that work Tim?

By switching on the aircon instead of the fuel burning heater! Park Heat works below 5c, I'll have to get the manual out to see at what temperature it uses the aircon. It has been the root of a lot of flat batteries this winter - as you will appreciate there isn't much call for pre-cooling the interior even on the hottest (max I've seen is 29c) Scottish summer day!

The A/c's compressor would want to be efficient to be able to run off the battery alone.