[mons2b]

I am converting fiat 500 to electric any ideas to get heater working ? Thought about using small diesel heater to heat water plumed into heater core

Its kind of funny converting to electric to get away from fossil fuels then using diesel to heat it.

 

[mons2b]

Are there any high voltage water heaters that would allow you to use the oem heater core/a/c system? I have seen reference to some but haven't been able to track down any currently on the market.

Use a off the shelf block heater. Ive been told they "should" function on DC. Just will get a bit hotter but dont over volt it. I was going to run 144v DC through a 110 volt water heater. Youd need a good pump to stop it burning out and a temp sensor to stop it if the water became too hot. I have paused this idea as I dont think i have enough batteries for it. It may be possible to use it to "preheat" the car off the mains before you drive out though...

 

[mons2b]

This be the cheapest nd most elegant option. Command is via CAN bus and 12V are there to supply logic. I find it works even upt o 400Vdc.

Outlander PHEV heater

I have ordered a coolant heater from Mitsubishi Outlander car. It comes with similar cable than Charger/DCDC. In fact it is connected directly into rear inverter casing and permanently connected to…

leafdriveblog.wordpress.com

I even have AC compressor here

Mitsubishi A/C and heater CANbus

While researching Outlander PHEV heater and AC compressor system i found out this system is run solely via CAN bus. Once you provide 12V Heater and AC compressor start to spew out its CAN telegrams…

leafdriveblog.wordpress.com

I never think Can is a elegant solution. Annoying hassles with rocket scientist code. I like devices where you apply a voltage and get a result. That is elegant to me. Not something that is a brick until you get some board and sift through lines of code. No thanks.

 

[mons2b]

Well you see for 360Vdc you would have to have a DC contactor to operate the heater and that would further need to draw 0.5Aof 12V for which you would need either a Mosfet or another small relay. And then how to regulate the heater so it wouldnt boil the coolant? You would need one or two thermostat switches to open or close relays with some hysteresis etc...
Its all in this heater... CAN simply controls the start and surprisingly you can also throttle the heater somewhat. Also you can use its temp report for other purposes in your system regardless of if it is operating. Granted it works from 180Vdc up to 400Vdc i think.

I understand what your saying about the fine control but its currently a hassle for the average joe.