ZF develops heated seat belt for EVs

ZF has developed a heated seat belt option for electric vehicles, which it claims could boost an EV’s cold-weather range by 15 per cent.

The ZF ‘Heat Belt’ allows drivers to reduce the energy used to heat the vehicle and is based on a special webbing with integrated heating conductors that minimally increase the thickness of the webbing.

ZF says this makes integration easier for vehicle manufacturers and offers occupants the same comfort as normal seat belt webbing; “it behaves like a conventional seat belt, and its operation is also identical”, the company adds.

According to ZF, the Heat Belt can provide close-to-body warmth immediately after the driver starts driving, typically between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius.

In electric vehicles, the climate control system is powered by battery current, as there is no usable waste heat as with a combustion engine.

ZF claims that reducing the amount of battery current used to heat the interior of the vehicle may enable a range gain of up to 15 per cent using contact heaters and reducing the usage of conventional climate control systems.

The company also states that its heated seat belt is “in no way inferior” to its conventional counterparts in terms of occupant protection.