Home » Here’s What The Inside Of A Heated Seat Looks Like, And How It Works

Here’s What The Inside Of A Heated Seat Looks Like, And How It Works

Seat Heater Ts2
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Recently while browsing a BMW i3 forum, I spotted the image you see above taken with an infrared thermal-imaging camera. It shows the pattern of the heating elements within a heated seat, so I figured I’d show you all what these things look like inside, and how it all works.

The photographer, Kurt Edelbach, shot these pictures of his BMW i3’s driver’s seat and posted them to a BMW i3 page on Facebook.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

“Seat heating pattern, taken ~20 seconds after turning on Lev 3. Lev 1 is hot enough for me,” he wrote. “Top looks like moose antlers – Designed by a Swedish engineer with a sense of humor?” Huh; I guess those do look like antlers:

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Image: Kurt Edelbach

So, what exactly are we looking at, here? Well, a heated seat works in a fairly simple fashion. Anytime you send a current through a material, you get what are called “I^2R” losses. Basically, this is the internal resistance of the material (a wire or “cable” in this case) turning power into heat. If you’ve used an electric stove or a space heater or really anything else that uses a “heating element,” then you probably get the idea.

Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 11.39.25 Am
Screenshot: YouTube (The Snap-On Tool Review)

A heated seat pad is basically just some wires, carefully spaced in a felt pad that taped atop the seat cushion (just like you see above), that turn current — which you control with a switch on your HVAC panel — into warmth for your butt and back to enjoy.

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Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 9.20.09 Am
Image: AliExpress 

The patterns of these heating patters are fun to look at:

Shz 001a Scaled
Image: IGB
Shz 002a Scaled
Image: IGB

The cables are made of all sorts of materials. Seat supplier Bekaert offers three different cables:

  • Bekinox® VN: Made from ultra-fine stainless steel microfilaments, these are the most durable on the market
  •  Bekiflex®: Steel core with an outer layer of nickel, zinc or copper
  •   Bekiflex® Hx: Helix cables with a hybrid structure combining a textile core and conductive wires – new –

So basically you’ve got stainless steel; steel with nickel, zinc, or copper; or a blend of a fabric and some kind of conductor.

Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 10.47.41 Am
Image: eBay (WPD)
Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 10.47.12 Am
Image: Three thermisters. (Image from Digikey)

Of course, there’s more to a heated seat than just some wires embedded in a felt pad. There’s also a controller and a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) thermistor (a thermistor is a device whose resistance changes as a function of temperature; the controller can detect this change in resistance to determine the seat’s temperature). The sensor company “Amphenol” has a nice PDF that describes how it all works; you can check it out here. Here’s a quote from Amphenol:

The temperature of a heated seat is measured by a NTC thermistor that is embedded between the foam pads of the seat. The thermistor monitors the seat’s temperature and feeds this information back to the controller that regulates the seat’s temperature.

The video below gives a very general ideal of the feedback loop:

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In the research for this article, I happened upon some gold. For example, it turns out Hyundai asked the U.S. Government for EPA credits for its heated seat tech, with the idea being that one can save quite a bit of fuel with a more efficient heated seat system:

Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 11.15.25 Am

Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 11.15.43 Am

So actually, what Hyundai is asking for is carbon credits for a more complex seat heating/cooling system that utilizes airflow and a Thermoelectric Device, or TED, to more efficiently heat/cool the passenger. A thermoelectric device is something I used when I helped develop the hybrid battery pack on the Jeep Wrangler JL mild hybrid; it basically uses a current to create a temperature difference between two sides of a cooling plate:

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Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 11.21.52 Am
Image: Thermavalence

Solid state heating and cooling company Promethient explains it on the web page of its brand “Thermavelence“:

Thermoelectric Devices and the Peltier Effect

Solid state heat pumping is accomplished with a specialized semiconductor called a thermoelectric device, or “TED.” TED’s use the flow of electrons to create the Peltier Effect within the semiconductor. The Peltier Effect is created at the junction of P and N type semiconductor elements that are laminated between two ceramic plates. With the application of a voltage and the flow of current, one plate will heat and the opposing plate will cool. When the polarity of the applied voltage is reversed, the heat flow will reverse.

Screen Shot 2024 11 12 At 11.22.31 Am
Image: Thermavalence

Here’s a YouTube video describing this type of seat heating/cooling, if you’re curious:

I found a lot more while researching for this article. For example, here’s a whole document about seat heater injuries:

Seat Heater Injuries: An Overview Seat heaters have been installed in automobiles since the 1970s. Today they are commonplace – in about 30 percent of all vehicles in the 2010 U.S. fleet. Despite their increasing ubiquity, seat heaters are not designed to any voluntary or mandatory industry standards, leading some manufacturers to set the maximum temperatures of their seat heaters in excess of human heat tolerances. Others fail to include automatic timed shutoff switches. While most occupants are able to discern when the seat heater has exceeded human limits, occupants who suffer lower body sensory deficits caused by paralysis, diabetes and neuropathy are at risk. These design flaws have resulted in severe burns to disabled vehicle occupants—a problem that has been validated by consumer complaints, the medical literature and demonstrated in testing.

If you’re extremely intrigued by heated seats and want to learn about their importance in the auto industry at large, market research and management consulting firm Lucintel has quite a deep dive here. Here’s a quote:

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The global automotive seat heater market is expected to reach an estimated $1.7 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 3.6% from 2024 to 2030. The major drivers for this market are increasing vehicle production and growing demand for comfort and safety features.
The automotive seat heater market primarily uses raw materials such as heating wires made from nickel-chromium alloys, silicone or polymer-based heating pads, and various types of textiles or leather for the seat covers. Pricing varies based on the complexity of the heating elements and integration with electronic controls; basic seat heaters are relatively affordable, while advanced systems with additional features like adjustable temperature settings and quicker heating times are more expensive. Overall costs are influenced by material quality, technology, and production volume.
• Lucintel forecasts that carbon fiber meshed weave heating pads will remain larger segment over the forecast period due to its excellent strength and low-voltage heat generation capability.
• Within this market, passenger car will remain the largest segment.

Hot damn! Carbon fiber mesh weave! This, Lucintel mentions, offers a potential efficiency advantage of a traditional metal cable-style heated seat setup. Here’s what carbon fiber heating elements look like:

Screenshot 2024 11 12 At 2.50.19 pm
Image: eBay (through-vehile)

Wow I went down a rabbit hole. All I wanted to do was share those colorful pictures from that thermal imaging camera!

 

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ClutchAbuse
ClutchAbuse
45 minutes ago

Heated seats along with a heated steering wheel are a godsend after a day of snowboarding.

Craig
Craig
4 hours ago

I work for a faction of Amphenol, and we do nothing like this in the location I work in.

While I’m sure they do this stuff, it’s not happening at my workplace.
They do lots of electronic stuff, in a wide range of disciplines, including
stuff for the PC market, and a boatload of other applications.

I build electronic assemblies which are fitted into Northrop-Grumman F-16
fighter jets for a flight-radar system, and the facility I work in does only
Level-3 electronic assembly, meaning it must be critical-level full capability
for applications such as medical reliance or military dependance.
We test and re-test, all day long.
In other terms, everything leaving our facility must be proven.

While Amphenol-Borisch Technologies is involved with developing
and producing an awful lot of connector formats and similar for a big portion
of the electronics industry, we’re also working on building assemblies
which are used in Defense contracts.

Myk El
Myk El
8 hours ago

To any young men wondering if there’s a car they can acquire that might interest a young woman. I say yes. It’s not a bitchin’ Camaro or any sort of sports car. It’s the car with the butt warmers. At least in places where it gets cold.

PlatinumZJ
PlatinumZJ
9 hours ago

The Peltier Effect! I became familiar with this when shopping for a compact dehumidifier for my office. It has a bank of fins attached to that TED, which is housed (along with what appears to be a large computer fan) in a pretty light-up case. I’m not sure if it’s entirely responsible for the slight drop in humidity over the course of the day, but it does pull enough water during a work week to satisfy all of my potted plants.

MiniDave
MiniDave
9 hours ago

Re: heated seat injuries. The driver’s seat in my MINI would get so hot it would feel like it was burning my legs – BMW offered a resistor that would plug into the harness to drop the temps…..the dealer checked the seats and said it was within specs. The seats heaters had three settings, on low it would burn me – no idea what it would have done on high – fry eggs?
That said, I do like having them on cold winter mornings – the ones in our 2004 Audi had 6 settings, they were the most comfortable seats I’ve ever driven….on low it was a nice gentle warmth that really felt nice on my back!

Last edited 9 hours ago by MiniDave
Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
14 hours ago

Given that pattern, I’d have to name my car Bullwinkle.

I love seat heaters, and sometimes it can even replace the cabin heat which I appreciate in an EV, but you still need to be able to clear the windshield. I’ve always wondered why you can put a defroster element in a rear window, but you never see anything similar in a windshield? Once upon a time you could find the radio antenna wire in the windshield, but that’s about as far as I’ve ever seen it go. I suppose no one really wants to look through a grid while driving, but surely with materials technology there’s a way to heat a glass panel without visible means?

EricTheViking
EricTheViking
14 hours ago
Reply to  Balloondoggle

Ford did offer the Quick Defrost® electric defroster for the front windscreen in 1974 on selected Ford and Lincoln models. One guy in the owner’s forum had described this technology very thoroughly.

This technology hasn’t been abandoned: you can find the list of current models with electric defroster.

Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
14 hours ago
Reply to  EricTheViking

Very cool, thanks for the links. I suppose I’ll need to start buying lottery tickets in order to get one of those.

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
13 hours ago
Reply to  Balloondoggle

When I was in Scotland back in ’97, my company leased a Ford Mondeo for me. It had exactly what you describe, a very fine mesh in the windshield as part of the defroster. It wasn’t super fast at defrosting (probably to avoid cracking the glass from thermal shock), but was definitely faster than blowing warm air at the base of the windshield like US cars do. My guess is that US regulations prevent similar systems here.

mtnJeep
mtnJeep
11 hours ago

Land Rover Discovery II had it as an option. The windshield had thin, wavy, vertical wires. It was really cool until you needed to replace the windshield…

Timothy Birke
Timothy Birke
13 hours ago
Reply to  Balloondoggle

My 2022 VW ID4 has a a front windshield has a defroster. Cant see the lines like you can on back windows, so not sure how exactly it works, but it has a separate button for it from the normal front defogger.

Red865
Red865
10 hours ago
Reply to  Balloondoggle

Rented a ’24 Ford Puma in England recently. It has the fine mesh defroster in the ‘windscreen’. Has a separate button to turn it on. Worked well.

Last edited 10 hours ago by Red865
Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
20 hours ago

My 74 Volvo was built with heated seats, but they stopped working around 1976 and I first drove it in 1981 so I missed out. I’ve never had another car with heated seats but I live in Oregon so I don’t get the extreme cold of the Upper Midwest or Canada. Heated motorcycle grips would be nice and some BMW motorcycles have heated seats. my BMW just has toe warmers.

Mikko Merentie
Mikko Merentie
23 hours ago

Finnish car magazine Tekniikan Maailma used to include thermal pictures of each cars heated seats, heated mirrors and rear defroster in their car comparison articles. Easy way to see which car has best heated seats etc.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 day ago

Designed by Jack Kirby. By the looks of it.

(Ask Jason, DT)

Last edited 1 day ago by Jonathan Hendry
EricTheViking
EricTheViking
14 hours ago

Ah, Jack Kirby! I met him when he showed up unannounced at one of the science fiction and fantasy fairs in the 1980s. He was so incognito there, but I spotted him and asked him discreetly for the autograph. Really nice guy!

Last edited 14 hours ago by EricTheViking
Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
1 day ago

So actually, what Hyundai is asking for is carbon credits for a more complex seat heating/cooling system that utilizes airflow and a Thermoelectric Device, or TED, to more efficiently heat/cool the passenger.

IS it more efficient though? Peltier (TED) coolers are notoriously inefficient, usually around 5%, which is far less than a decent compressor based A/C unit.

Dunno about heating but resistive heating is ~100% so it’s hard to see how the Peltier can beat that.

Ian McClure
Ian McClure
8 hours ago
Reply to  Cheap Bastard

Peltiers have lousy efficiency for *cooling* things, but like all heat pumps are in a sense “over unity” at generating heat. You get all of the heat you’re pulling out of the cold side, *plus* all of the waste heat generated by inefficiency. So as long as the cold side has somewhere isolated to pull energy from, the hot side will be hotter than a purely resistive heater of the same wattage.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
8 hours ago
Reply to  Ian McClure

I suppose. I imagine such heating gains will not outweigh the cooling losses compared to a compressor based heat pump though.

Ben
Ben
8 hours ago
Reply to  Cheap Bastard

Relevant Technology Connections video: https://youtu.be/CnMRePtHMZY?si=IxjDluY6lgLGZTFl

One problem: a peltier device is going to be dumping heat or cold into the rest of the car in order to cool or heat the seat, which is going to increase the load on the rest of the climate control system. If the peltier isn’t in the seat itself then it’s just a wildly inefficient air conditioner. Compressor-based heat pumps are far more efficient.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
8 hours ago
Reply to  Ben

That problem alone is a deal breaker. Besides is it THAT hard to add HVAC ducts to the seats? It’s probably a lot cheaper than the peltiers, electronics and wiring too.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
8 hours ago
Reply to  Ben

I used to work in a lab where we used Peltiers to precisely control the temperature of semiconductor lasers. By controlling the temperature and current of the laser one can map and control the precise frequency (color) of the emission. Sure 670.8765nm is a whole lot like 670.8796 nm by eye but we used those lasers for hyper fine atomic spectroscopy and in that application those subtle differences make ALL the difference.

The point is a Peltier was pretty much the only tool to do that kind of work. Precise, nearly instant and very controllable temperatures for very small things are what Peltiers are best at. Large scale, not very precise cooling? Not so much.

Ben
Ben
8 hours ago
Reply to  Cheap Bastard

Yep, that’s kind of the thrust of the video too. In specific situations peltiers are great, but for most general purpose things they’re a bad fit.

IanGTCS
IanGTCS
1 day ago

I love heated seats. Once it gets below about 10 I turn them on when I get into the car. Maybe just for a few minutes but it’s nice. Once winter really hits they get a lot of use on low. Also great if I’ve been standing for a long time and my back is getting achy.

Wife’s new car that we are picking up this Saturday has a heated steering wheel too. Love it on the trucks at work, I’m sure she will enjoy it.

S0crates82
S0crates82
1 day ago
Reply to  IanGTCS

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you mean 10*C, rather than 10*F. Otherwise, you’re far too parsimonious with luxuries that lie at hand.

IanGTCS
IanGTCS
17 hours ago
Reply to  S0crates82

Yep, Canadian. So 50 in freedom units.

Bags
Bags
13 hours ago
Reply to  IanGTCS

*The Units Formerly Known As Freedom

Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
14 hours ago
Reply to  IanGTCS

I love the therapeutic value of the seat heater on my back when it gets stiff. I’ve been known to seek out traffic jams or take the scenic route just to spend a little more time with it.

Bags
Bags
13 hours ago
Reply to  Balloondoggle

It’s definately great for a sore back or hips. If it’s not too hot out, I’ll sometimes run them with the AC going so I can crank them up to level 3 and really work out the tightness.

Totally not a robot
Totally not a robot
1 day ago

I was always careful about overusing the seat heaters during long road trips in my old car. The heaters were mighty comfortable, but I also found that they activated certain muscles that had me frantically searching for an exit with a nearby restroom.

Goblin
Goblin
1 day ago

Cooled seats are probably the best car invention this side of car AC, and anyone who perfects the technology deserves all the credits they can get. Heated seats are also a great thing, but cooled ones are a game changer. Despite sounding like the gimmickiest of gimmicks.

Last edited 1 day ago by Goblin
Rad Barchetta
Rad Barchetta
1 day ago
Reply to  Goblin

Heated seats are nice, but I can take or leave them, because I wear pants. But a heated steering wheel? That’s the game changer. I’d rather not wear hand pants (or “gloves” if you prefer) if I dont have to.

Goblin
Goblin
1 day ago
Reply to  Rad Barchetta

Ditto.

I Heart Japanese Cars
I Heart Japanese Cars
1 day ago
Reply to  Rad Barchetta

My ex’s 2016 Kia Soul had a heated steering wheel and I liked I very occasionally drove it in the cold.

The seats had a cooling function that blew ambient air up through many holes in the leather. I LOVED the seats and referred to it as “ass-blow” technology.

Jonathan Hendry
Jonathan Hendry
1 day ago

I’m surprised ass-blow attachments never became an aftermarket thing for Aeron chairs, since part of their sales pitch is the air-permeable mesh seat fabric.

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
23 hours ago
Reply to  Rad Barchetta

When I wear gloves I always feel like Steve McQueen in the Lemans movie.
Life is strange.

Last edited 23 hours ago by Col Lingus
Bjorn A. Payne Diaz
Bjorn A. Payne Diaz
13 hours ago
Reply to  Rad Barchetta

Little tough to use a touch screen with gloves on. Bury the heated steering wheel in the highest trim level. Profit. 😉

Rad Barchetta
Rad Barchetta
12 hours ago

Another reason why touchscreens suck. And yes, highest trim level is typical, unfortunately. But if I’m headed that direction anyway and its optional, I’ll take that option every time.

The Dude
The Dude
1 day ago
Reply to  Goblin

With how expensive new cars are, I won’t buy anything new without cooled seats.

Andreas8088
Andreas8088
1 day ago
Reply to  Goblin

Amen to this. I live in new england, and even I could take or leave heated seats, but man, cooled seats are niiiiiiice. I do not have a vehicle with them, unfortunately, but I really enjoy them when I borrow or rent. I get that the heater is easier/cheaper to implement, but jeez, all I want is the ventilation. Especially on long drives.

Jaded Helmsman
Jaded Helmsman
9 hours ago
Reply to  Goblin

My truck has cooled seats, but my wife’s car doesn’t. She couldn’t remember what the setting was called to turn them off, so she asked me how to turn off the “butt air.”

Chris B
Chris B
1 day ago

Great article. This is sorta the start of semiconductor cooling for dummies.

Jatkat
Jatkat
1 day ago

The energy savings from heated seats even with a conventional system can be immense in an EV. If I “tough” it out on my morning commute with my heated seats and steering wheel rather than running the resistive coolant heater in my Volt I can save quite a few miles of range, and that’s just one way!

subsea_EV-VI
subsea_EV-VI
1 day ago
Reply to  Jatkat

This! Seat heater+steering wheel heater is a few hundred watts, and keeps me nice and toasty vs the couple kW that the cabin air heater takes

Balloondoggle
Balloondoggle
14 hours ago
Reply to  Jatkat

Agree, but I still end up needing the defroster so it’s kind of a wash. If the weather is such that I can get away with just the seat heater, then it’s guaranteed that the window will fog/frost and I’ll need to fire that thing up anyway.

Highland Green Miata
Highland Green Miata
1 day ago

Heated seats are basically low heat toaster wires inside your seat. Great for keeping a pizza warm!

JunkerDave
JunkerDave
1 day ago

Heated seats baffle me. I can see the attraction for people who wear short skirts and apply thin underwear directly to seat, but I look terrible in a short skirt. Maybe I’ve just got enough lard in my butt so that cold seats are not an issue when wearing trousers. (If it’s cold enough to need a heated seat, why aren’t you wearing trousers?) True, I live in the northern US, and not northern Canada (where even the polar bears wear down parkas).

Ecsta C3PO
Ecsta C3PO
1 day ago
Reply to  JunkerDave

I’ll tell you there’s nothing quite like the warm embrace of a good heated seat when the rest of the cabin hasn’t warmed up and its -30C. Like being tucked under the covers on a cold night.

The Dude
The Dude
1 day ago
Reply to  JunkerDave

Heated seats are great in my convertible where it’s just cold enough that I need a little extra warmth so I can drop the top on a cooler day.

Mikko Merentie
Mikko Merentie
23 hours ago
Reply to  JunkerDave

I live in the northern Finland and let me tell you, here the heated seats are pretty much mandatory.

Lightning
Lightning
15 hours ago
Reply to  Mikko Merentie

I live in Alaska and have no complaints about my non-heated seats (and have never tried heated seats). But then again, I usually wear the same clothing for cross country skiing as driving.

V10omous
V10omous
1 day ago

leading some manufacturers to set the maximum temperatures of their seat heaters in excess of human heat tolerances

I wish I had a car like this instead of ones that barely manage to warm you on a 0 degree day. The pendulum has swung too far the other way.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
1 day ago
Reply to  V10omous

Don’t you have 8L of pure V10 heat engine?

V10omous
V10omous
14 hours ago
Reply to  Cheap Bastard

I do, but that one doesn’t come out on days where heated seats are necessary.

Sklooner
Sklooner
1 day ago

Living in northern Alberta these things are great- when they work, my V70 had a short and ended up burning a hole in my pants once, I was able to just solder a wire to bypass the area until I got a new seat base. My Saab 900 though the seat heaters decided to work all the time driving it in summer I pulled a fuse only to discover it shared a circuit with some vital part of the engine, 40c and the black leather seats are roasting me from underneath too

Cars? I've owned a few
Cars? I've owned a few
1 day ago

Fascinating photos and discussion, David.

I always thought it would look more like the back window defroster wires.

I have had a couple of cars with the heated seats, and they are nice.

A heated steering wheel is the chef’s kiss. My ex-wife’s BMW X5 had that when we married. And when we replaced it with an Acura MDX during the summer, she later mentioned on the first cool day of fall that she missed that feature. I went into the manual and found that it also had that feature. She was surprisingly thankful. In her defense, the switch for it was kind of hidden behind the steering wheel itself.

I spent a little time pondering how they pass enough current to heat the rim through a constantly rotating mechanism for the life of a car, but I didn’t lose sleep over it.

The MDX also had “cooling” seats, but they were just fans moving air through the perforated upholstery and were audible when working hard. It’s like one of those “what’s that new noise” moments when I got in the car after she had been driving it.

Jerry Thomas
Jerry Thomas
13 hours ago

The device is the clock spring, allows the cables for horn, airbag buttons, heat etc.. to rotate back and forth. Google it, they’re a neat thing. Can be a real ass pain to replace though

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
1 day ago

I’ve only had one car with heated seats, my current one. I only use it on the coldest mornings, and then only for a few minutes. I’m not really into butt-crack prickly heats.

Timbales
Timbales
1 day ago

Yeah, it’s nice on a winter day when I have the car started to warm up before I get in, but I turn it off once I’m actually sitting on it.

My Goat Ate My Homework
My Goat Ate My Homework
1 day ago

My current car has the seat and seat back on separate circuits. So I can get a nice warm back without issues down below. Great when the back muscles are a little cranky.

Fuzzyweis
Fuzzyweis
1 day ago

This is one of the best things added to cars, having just basic front heaters in my Bolt has made me a believer, and heated steering wheel, even in our mild winters here in NC they are so cozy. Could just be my old bones appreciate them more now. Next car we’re thinking may get the full massaging deal.

Drew
Drew
1 day ago
Reply to  Fuzzyweis

I’ve never had massaging seats, but I appreciate my heated/ventilated seats. I’m a bigger fan of the ventilation than the heating, but I find I get use out of both. I also suspect the heating may be something I appreciate more now than when I was younger.

Last edited 1 day ago by Drew
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