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"remote starting" is a means to an end, it isn't an end by itself: people don't need their car started remotely; what they need is to have the engine warmed up and the passenger compartment stabilized at an acceptable temperature when they're ready to drive.
During the winter, block-heaters are great,
but it's only in the far, far, far north that you'll find electrical outlets available at the shopping centre .
With that in mind, application of a couple existing concepts come to mind: heat and cooling thermal bottles.
Permanently installed is a small hot-thermos, kept "topped up" during normal driving by the engine cooling system, such that there is enough heat stored to warm the engine lubricant to operating temperature on a cool'ish day.
During the winter, a larger hot-thermos is used to store more heat to enable the engine crankcase to be heated up and also to warm the passenger compartment.
During the summer, a cold-thermos is used, charged by the A/C system while the car is in operation, to later pre-cool the passenger compartment.
The larger thermoses are only installed during extreme seasons.
The vehicle can then be remotely brought to a state of readiness, prior to being operated, without starting the engine and creating potentially embarassing moments for owners of 1985 Audis or flooding your garage with exhaust.
Options include On-Star type remote prepping for when you're *almost* ready to leave the mall or office.
No clue about the operating/storage fluid; I imagine some salt or another; possibly you can use the same bottle during winter and summer.
consumer energy center
http://www.consumer...g/myths/idling.html
myths on idling exposed [Bad Jim, May 24 2008]
Baked (partially)
http://priuschat.co...rmos-heats-ice.html
The Toyota Prius uses a thermos to hold warm "coolant" [Laughs Last, Jun 05 2008]
[link]
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//weight?//
could use a few pounds off the mid-section I suppose...oh. |
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I don't imagine the "permanent" thermos and complete assorted plumbing would weigh more than 10 lbs; it only has to keep enough heat through (say) a 24-hour period to warm up a few quarts of oil. |
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The seasonal hot/cold bottles' size/weight would be dependant on the climate they would be operating in, engine size and passenger compartment size. |
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Long story short, no clue, but I imagine a 4-door sedan wouldn't mind an extra 40 pounds or so, if it meant walking into the parking lot into a nice warm(or cool) car after a day at the office or shopping centre. |
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pumping the oil, even the coolant, into a insulated/heated storage reservoir then returning it before starting is a good idea. Some indoor motor pools used circulation systems and there are numerous circulating heaters but an evacuate then replace |
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What is the particular problem with using remote-start? The use of an idling engine as a heater is not terribly energy-efficient, though letting the engine oil heat up before putting the engine under any stress will likely reduce wear. Cooling isn't wonderfully efficient either, but since cars generally don't have excess capacity for cooling (unlike heating) having the engine run a few minutes before boarding is likely to waste no more energy than increasing the cooling load when the car is being driven. |
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//What is the particular problem with using remote-start?// |
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Well, you can't use it if the car is parked in your garage (unless you *like* breathing carbon-monoxide); in extreme winter conditions, starting usually involves the human touch(/invective/kick) to get it right... and a parked, running car is a target for thieves (who will be ticked off and break stuff when they discover the keys aren't in the ignition after they break in) |
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Idling is bad for your car. With a modern car the best thing for the engine is to just turn it on and go. Obviosly it's better than driving a sub-zero car and having your windshield ice up as you drive, but if you can heat your car up some other way it's a plus. |
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This may be a silly question, but why not run the block heater from the battery? You could start that by remote control. You'd maybe want a bigger battery, but it's simpler. |
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//run the block heater from the battery? // |
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it'd die pretty fast. You'd need a much larger battery, and in sub-zero weather they can't keep anywhere near full charge. |
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