I set up an old camera to record my surfing, and when I watched the video, I was surprised to hear the AC come on! Googling showed me it was the Cabin Overheat Protection. It was 55 degrees out, but the car was in the sun. It rarely gets above 65 degrees here (F). I want to confirm that since there will never be any kids or pets or old people in the car, it's okay to turn off COP. Thanks! FromCar by PianoAl posted Feb 28, 2021 at 3:50 PM
Sure if you don't mind coming back to a hot cabin if you forget/don't precondition or you don't have anything in the car that may be damaged by heat like maybe your "old camera". But the best question is why. It is great knowing that if you accidentally leave something in the car it will be at least minimally protected and it uses very little power. Also it can SAVE power since it takes a lot less energy to cool the cabin that is not above 100ºF/38ºC.
Sure you can turn it off, but understand that the temperature outside not getting above 65 doesnt mean that the inside of your car will stay "comfortable" without it on. If your car is in the sun, even if its 65 outside its likely your car will end up being 95-100 or even hotter. on an 80 degree day in the sun, the car will likely get 120-130 or even hotter inside. Thats not a huge deal but people under estimate how hot it will get in the car.
I use overhear protection with no AC. Seems like a happy medium and uses virtually no battery when sitting outside all day in summer So Cal heat. My windows are tinted and I use a sunshade for the windshield. Couple minutes of preconditioning and it’s pretty cool when I get in. White interior also helps. Way better than when I had a black interior ICE car with no ability to turn on AC remotely.
This is exactly what I do (cabin overheat with no AC), same situation, windows tinted (including glass roof) with 3m Crystalline, and I have a nice sunshade for the front window. Only takes a few minutes of pre conditioning to get the car to an acceptable temp (but it will still get quite hot inside, if you check the app and see what temp it reports.
I'll do that, thanks. I don't mind a hot car in terms of getting in, especially after spending three hours in the ocean. BTW, I've been using the Sentry Cam for taking video of my surfing, but it only gets the last minutes before I return to the car.
It’s not detecting the surfing as movement. It’s only recording you getting close the car and a few mins before and after.
I’m sorry, that’s just not true. Cooling takes energy, and it will always take less to cool from a high internal temperature after sitting for a few hours then consistently removing heat as it sits. If that principle were true, programmable thermostats wouldn’t exist. You certainly save energy by leaving it off, but probably not a huge amount unless the car sits for a while.
Let me help you read my post....it can save (depending on the circumstance) NOT it DOES save (like it won't in your "few hours" example).
Nice Vid. Looks cold out. Yes it is totally fine to leave COP off. I see it as a bit of a gimmick and don't use it. On a hot day simply winding down the windows will drop the internal temp to near outside temp very smartly. Alternatively powering on the AC as you approach the car will also cool it very quickly. I often leave my car parked in an airport parking lot while I am away for extended periods.. I need to minimize battery drain so that I can drive home without the need to charge. The last thing I want is for COP to be constantly waking the car, cooling it and draining the battery. Leaving sentry mode active is even worse of course. So for me I have never activated COP
No it can’t. In any circumstance. The amount of energy spent to bring the cabin down to ambient will never be less with COP enabled.