Alibro
Well-Known Member
I am not an eco warrior and my build was never about saving the environment, it was more for the challenge and fun of doing it and if there was a benefit to the earth then that was a bonus.Environmentally it's probably just as green to use a decent diesel heater, as they're about 60% efficient. If the electricity used to charge an EV comes from the grid, then that's about 50% renewable, so there's really not much in it.
Obviously a diesel heater does make some noise and is going to be smelly, but it won't effect the range of the vehicle to any great degree.
There are a multitude of cloned Webasto space heaters available for about £100, which are very efficient and cheap to run if kerosene is used as the fuel.
I'd not feel overly concerned about the Environmentally impact of a tiny space heater, especially if it's little different to using mains electricity to charge the batteries.
I agree 100% that the environmental impact of using the diesel heater would be minimal however I heard the heater in my car a couple of times while the engine was running and was surprised at how loud it is. Maybe in a busy street or while driving at 50mph I would not hear it but one of the things that gives me a real kick is the silence of the car. I cannot get my head around having the diesel heater spoiling that enjoyment and if it means a slightly reduced range then so be it.
There is no logic to any other part of this conversion so why should the heater be any different.