How are electric cars heated?

Another in our irregular series of answering questions from readers, this one from John Q of Eugene, Oregon: Question: I was wondering how an electric car provides heat and defrosting. Using batteries to generate the heat will drain them pretty fast. read more

To my knowledge, currently available electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster, the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi I-Miev all use electric resistive heaters that pump fluid through the heater and into a heat radiator through which air is blown into the passenger compartment. read more

Electric car drivers now have one more reason to love the summer, because in the winter, the vehicle's range declines markedly due to the additional energy demanded by the heating system. Electric cars generate next to no heat as opposed to conventional passenger vehicles, which produce more than enough engine heat to heat the interior. read more