How Do Heated Seats Work in Cars?
Heated seats is a must-have feature for many car owners  Photo: lqiuz via Pixabay  If youve ever wondered how heated seats work, youre not alone. Heres a brief overview of the technology that makes heated car seats possible, to appease your curiosity and increase your appreciation for this luxury feature. Custom Features: Refresh your ride with these cool accessories  How heated seats work  Knowing how heated seats work is a great way to give this luxury the appreciation it deserves  Photo: Mikes-Photography via Pixabay  Heated seats rely on similar technology to other heat-producing products such as water heaters, hairdryers, and electric blankets, as It Still Runs contributor Isaiah David explains. For starters, theres something called a resistor built into the car seat. This is typically a heating coil thats a long strip of wire whose function is to resist the current of electricity. When you turn on the seats heating function, electricity flows to the coil via a circuit. This triggers a weak magnetic field that flips the systems relay switch. This, in turn, lets electricity flow from the cars battery to the resistor. Heated seats have an internal thermostat that maintains the seats heat and limits how hot the seat gets during use, as CarParts.com explains. This thermostat shuts off the relay switch once the seat reaches a certain temperature. It also triggers the relay switch when it detects that the temperature is too low. Who invented the first heated car seat  In case youre wondering who you have to thank for this wonderful invention that makes winter drives more pleasant, the guys name is Robert L. Ballard. This General Motors employee gets the credit for designing the first heated car seat. According to Hagertys Larry Printz, he filed for a patent on his design in 1951. Though, he had to wait until 1955 before the federal government granted him the patent. GM then debuted the heated car seat on the 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood. Read about how to troubleshoot and fix a heated car seat. Then discover some helpful accessories that help make cold-weather drives more comfortable. Heated Front Seats and More: Some reasons to anticipate the new 2022 Chevy Trailblazer