For those that don’t know. Honda hybrids use a conventional heater core for cabin heat. That means to run the heater, the engine needs to be hot enough to get warm coolant to the heater core.
EVs, and a lot of the other brands’ hybrids, use a heat pump that doesn’t need the motor to be running to get warmth to your frozen toes.
@Kingsley
Well it’s still a car. They’re not gonna put electric heaters to run off the battery. This is my second winter and it does the same.
Sky said:
@Kingsley
Well it’s still a car. They’re not gonna put electric heaters to run off the battery. This is my second winter and it does the same.
Wrong list of brands that use heat pumps.
Jaguar, Tesla, Nissan, Kia, and Hyundai use them in their EVs.
BMW, Audi, MB, and Toyota use them in their hybrids.
Key one to note is the Toyota RAV4 uses a heat pump, the direct competitor to the CR-V.
I’m not sure what it matters if it’s your second winter or 5th winter with it. But yes, it will heat up the car. The difference is the motor is often running just for the sake of making heat when it doesn’t need to be.
In the Accord with the same hybrid system, you even get warnings saying EV mode can’t be turned on because you are using the heater, or the engine is too cold.
@Kingsley
One note: Only the RAV4 Prime (the plug-in hybrid variant which is much less common) has a heat pump. The standard RAV4 hybrid does not.
@Kingsley
The BEV fully electric Clarity also used a heat pump.
Peyton said:
@Kingsley
The BEV fully electric Clarity also used a heat pump.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that, and the GM Blazer EV that’s rebadged as a Honda.
@Kingsley
I am all for using the engine; it actually benefits the range of the hybrid system. Burning gas is all I love about it.
Sky said:
@Kingsley
Well it’s still a car. They’re not gonna put electric heaters to run off the battery. This is my second winter and it does the same.
Some diesel vehicles in Europe use electric heaters. I have experience with diesel Mercedes and diesel Ford Focus. As soon as you start the engine, it starts blowing hot air.
@Kingsley
So what?
I am sure it causes the engine on my hybrid to run more than it would otherwise, but a heat pump means more load on the battery when you are not moving. Feels like six of one, half dozen of the other.
All I care about is MPG and my mileage in the winter is great.
Truer words were never spoken.
If I’m at a public garage, for example, with a ton of people around and I want to be quiet (no sound of angels coming down from heaven), I blast the heat to get my engine going. A lot quieter and no one turning their heads my way.
@Drew
Good idea! I do get a kick out of the head-turns though haha.
Raine said:
Huh?
lol in the hybrids when you ‘Start’ the car, it just turns on the electronics and not the engine, but if you then turn on the heat, it will actually start the engine.
@Lior
Ha, I knew exactly what you were talking about.
Jonah said:
@Lior
Ha, I knew exactly what you were talking about.
I just did this when I left for work and thought the same thing haha.
@Lior
Recent '23 EX-L (Canada) purchaser here. Is this why my engine sometimes says when I’m just starting to drive that I need to adjust my heat settings to enable the engine on/off when I come to a stop?
@Farrell
Tbh you’ll probably just deal with a running engine a lot more up there, just by proxy of the cooler weather and needing to warm up/keep your car warm a lot more frequently for longer periods of a year.
I’ve noticed where I am (desert climate) that since I’ve started using the heater just in the past two weeks or so, my average MPG is dropping slightly.
Makes sense that folks in colder climates average closer to 35-36ish mpg, based on what I’ve seen on here over the months. Until I started using my heater, I was averaging about 39mpg. Now down to about 37.8.
My CR-V’s engine starts and runs a lot more when I’m using the heater, which makes sense. 2025 ST.
@Teo
Yeah I guess that’s it. If the heater is tied to the engine, then the engine can’t turn off if the HVAC says the car still needs to be warmed up. Would be nice to have an option to give primacy to the engine on/off if desired.
I’ve also noticed a decrease in mileage as well but have been doing mostly city driving so could be that too. Went from ~8.5l/100km on highways to a shocking 12.1l/100km when I went to grab groceries yesterday.
@Farrell
Totally, a feature that allows you to choose what you’d prefer, or even auto-adjust the heat output so as to warm up the vehicle slower/limit max temp/fan speeds, but still give a nice amount of EV usage.
Idk, guess that’s what you pay the bigger bucks for, hybrid Lexus, Volvos, etc., and the like. Still, would be a nice feature for y’all up north. We’ll be in Rhode Island in a few years so I’m sure I’ll be right there with you in due time lol.