Abstract: An electric heating system for heating the passenger compartment and defrosting the windshield and rear window of a motor vehicle prior to starting includes an electric air heater unit fixedly mounted in the vehicle trunk under the conventional horizontal shelf behind the rearmost seat of the vehicle. Air drawn from the trunk by a blower is heated by an electric heater and conveyed upwardly into the interior of the vehicle over the rear window and forwardly toward the windshield. The electric heater and blower are energized from a house power receptacle by a power cord retractable into a storage reel in the trunk beneath the shelf when not in use. The heater and blower are automatically energized at a pre-selected time by a manually settable timer located within the trunk.The timer motor is continuously energized from the vehicle battery whereby timer operation is independent of whether the power cord is connected to the house power receptacle.