Why does AC activate in cold weather?

[taraquin]

Probably wrong season, but noticed in the winter than hvac enable AC at low temp even in dry conditions. Why is this? I generally used manual and turned of AC as consumption was quite a bit higher. Even in light rain windows don't fog without AC. In heavy rain or high temps AC is required, but I don't understand why it's active in low temps as it lowers range quite a bit. Any insights?

On the Kia Soul and Nissan Leaf with heat pump AC is very rarely active in winter as you can' t use AC for both heating and drying/cooling at same time, but fog is rarely an issue except in heavy rain.

 

[joelliot]

Probably wrong season, but noticed in the winter than hvac enable AC at low temp even in dry conditions. Why is this? I generally used manual and turned of AC as consumption was quite a bit higher. Even in light rain windows don't fog without AC. In heavy rain or high temps AC is required, but I don't understand why it's active in low temps as it lowers range quite a bit. Any insights?

On the Kia Soul and Nissan Leaf with heat pump AC is very rarely active in winter as you can' t use AC for both heating and drying/cooling at same time, but fog is rarely an issue except in heavy rain.

...most likely to maintain a more comfortable humidity and to fight fogging even you personally have not experienced it. It is fairly common on cars like my Audi/VW to run the AC down to fairly low temperatures for the same reasons. I know that on the 3 there is a variable speed compressor, similar to those found in modern heat pumps, so the consumption is not that high. I don't know fi that applies to the S/X or when it would have started.

 

[Gasaraki]

AC is not only used to cool your car. In my Subaru, the auto setting would turn on the AC as needed at any temperature you set. It is used to remove humidity from the air.

It's a pro tip that if you want to defog your windows, turn on the AC, turn the temperature up, set it to blow on your windows.

 

[Puddles]

My sense of the climate panel is that buttons are blue when a feature is enabled, not necessarily when it is operating.

 

[Big Earl]

My sense of the climate panel is that buttons are blue when a feature is enabled, not necessarily when it is operating.

Correct.

 

[XLR82XS]

AC is not only used to cool your car. In my Subaru, the auto setting would turn on the AC as needed at any temperature you set. It is used to remove humidity from the air.

Exactly. When I lived in a cold climate the A/C compressor always had to be running with the heater to reduce humidity and keep the windows from fogging up.

 

[Candleflame]

I think the car doesnt always perfectly know whether its comfortable inside the car and it wont perfectly conditon the air - hence sometimes it might be overkill. Certainly up in the tropics where I live if its freezing outside (i.e. 15 degrees here haha) and you put the heater on you get this sort of humid hot air which feels somewhat uncomfortable and fogs up the windows as well.
I have noticed that even if it feels comfortable and not that humid without the AC you still get a degree of fogging so I always leave it on.

I'm originally from europe and moisture in the air is just much less of an issue - even if its humid 10 degrees outside the process of heating it up to 20 degrees means the air can hold so much more moistre that it wont fog up the windscreen much - and even if it is, in a gas car you usually just turn the hot windscreen vents on a little bit which counteracts the problem without AC running.
Modern cars with an automatic AC have the AC always on though similar to a Tesla.

 

[taraquin]

My sense of the climate panel is that buttons are blue when a feature is enabled, not necessarily when it is operating.

Actually it seems like blue means active. I see that in both summer and extreme cold when recirculation toggles on and off and AC toggles of if very cold.

 

[taraquin]

I'm aware of AC being ysed to redyce humidity, but the auto setting is very counterintuitive at times when windows fog up even with ac on since it prefers to blow air in your face/feet instead of windows. Usually setting air to windiws without ac is much more effienct ar clearing fig than auto. It just puzzles me that the system is so 'dumb', just like the wipers. Implementation in all other EVs I have driven us better than this.

 

[holmgang]

I'm aware of AC being ysed to redyce humidity, but the auto setting is very counterintuitive at times when windows fog up even with ac on since it prefers to blow air in your face/feet instead of windows. Usually setting air to windiws without ac is much more effienct ar clearing fig than auto. It just puzzles me that the system is so 'dumb', just like the wipers. Implementation in all other EVs I have driven us better than this.

i would say having the AC on for heating is common behavior in other cars as well, but either way this is why i prefer to control climate manually most of the time

 

[Gasaraki]

I'm aware of AC being ysed to redyce humidity, but the auto setting is very counterintuitive at times when windows fog up even with ac on since it prefers to blow air in your face/feet instead of windows. Usually setting air to windiws without ac is much more effienct ar clearing fig than auto. It just puzzles me that the system is so 'dumb', just like the wipers. Implementation in all other EVs I have driven us better than this.

To defog your windows, use the front window defog button. AUTO does not help you defog windows. It might help to reduce the chance of it fogging but use the button if you want to defog it quick.