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By using less energy to heat the interior of the car, heated seat belts can extend the range of electric vehicles by up to 15%. They also keep passengers warm when it’s cold outside. As they promise to increase driving range by up to 15% in icy weather, heated seat belts could be the next big thing in electric car development.
Cold weather takes a huge toll on electric vehicles,as they cannot use the excess heat generated by petrol engines to warm car cabins.
Thermal imaging images of the “heat belt” demonstrate the system’s potential to immediately apply heat to a car’s occupants, similar to a heated steering wheel, while also doing away with the need to heat inactive seats.
The Global EV range-boosting heated Seatbelt market accounted for $XX Billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2024 to 2030.
For electric cars, ZF has created a heated seatbelt option. This technology helps drivers to reduce the energy used to heat the vehicle especially in combination with other contact heaters such as a seat heater. According to ZF, the system can extend range by up to 15% in cold weather by using less energy to heat the inside of the car.
The ZF heated seatbelt is built on a unique webbing with built-in heating conductors that very slightly enhance the webbing’s thickness. This makes integration easy for vehicle makers and affords occupants the same comfort as regular seat belt webbing. The heated belt’s purpose is to give passengers a consistent sense of warmth close to their bodies.
ZF claims that this integrated heating function “Immediately after the driver starts driving, a new heated seatbelt can give close-to-body warmth, often between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius. The heated seat belt has the ability to instantly offer occupant comfort when used with heated seats.”
Since there is no usable waste heat as there is with combustion engines, the climate control system in electric vehicles is powered by battery electricity.
By using contact heaters instead of standard climate control systems and minimising the amount of battery current used to heat the interior of the car, it is possible to increase range by up to 15%. Other benefits of ZF’s heated seatbelt are crucial to its widespread acceptability among drivers and passengers because it functions and acts exactly like a regular seatbelt.
For this breakthrough, ZF applied a unique technique for treating textiles. The seatbelt structure includes heating conductors that are braided into it. The electrical heating circuit contact parts are positioned such that they do not obstruct belt retraction or operation. According to ZF, special belt retractors are not required at other installation places.
There are no additional procedures or requirements for the OEM because all pertinent seatbelt attributes remain the same. According to ZF, the heated seat belt is in no way less protective of the occupant than its conventional counterparts.
By removing bulky garments, occupant enjoyment and safety possibilities are typically improved. This enables the belt to restrict and protect the occupant in an accident while lying much closer to the body.
