Wow, Model X HVAC (AC) Consumption

[Muzzman1]

I've noticed my wife's MX wh/mi is unusually high(20" wheels 90D) 428wh/mi over the last 5k miles. We have 2 kids under 3, so the rear climate is always on. We are in SoCal, and it's summer, so AC is always on.
For fun I plugged the car in and put the HVAC to LO, to see how much power it draws from the HPWC and I was blow away to see about 5.5Kw/h! So being that she mostly does short trips and the AC is running on high at most times, her consumption is crazy.
On another note, to see if it was her driving style, we did a 150mi round trip where I drove, no more than 5mph over the speed limit, and I achieved 371 wh/mi
Point here: MX HVAC is an energy hog!!!

 

[ohmman]

I've seen the same thing. I believe it's related to spinning up the Pratt & Whitney turbine.

In all seriousness, I bet it's related to the compression line swap that has been discussed by @cclaygo and others. I'd be interested to hear if anyone who has had the service bulletin can chime in on consumption differences.

 

[xkwizit]

@Muzzman1 - I don't think running HVAC while the car is parked in the garage is a true test as in real life the cool air coming in to the car is essential for it. So while you may have a point, I am not sold on it completely. I must admit, though, that on our recent road trip the first day was 100+ temperatures and the consumption was higher but there were also strong headwinds and so I can't just put a number to how much the HVAC consumed.

@ohmman - I sent an email to my SC and they said they had checked the AC lines on my X last time and the issue @cclaygo and others reported isn't applicable in my situation. It will help to get specifics of that service bulletin but if its related to crossed lines, it won't help in my scenario.

 

[ohmman]

The consumption number I notice is when the AC is running when I first start driving. My trip Wh/mi is through the roof, well over 1000. When the AC isn't running, it's normal. I don't have this discrepancy on my S. All of that said, I haven't done a good job quantifying it. I should probably do a controlled test at some point.

 

[Poiuy09]

I am noticing the same on my 75D too. Wh/mi is very high for the first few miles and I have to drive very conservatively to get closer to the rated wh/mi. I only have the car for a week and no long trips yet.
I noticed that when the rear climate control is off, it still blows cold air from the rear center vents. Not sure if it is by design. I did not check if other vents are doing the same.

 

[Saghost]

I've noticed my wife's MX wh/mi is unusually high(20" wheels 90D) 428wh/mi over the last 5k miles. We have 2 kids under 3, so the rear climate is always on. We are in SoCal, and it's summer, so AC is always on.
For fun I plugged the car in and put the HVAC to LO, to see how much power it draws from the HPWC and I was blow away to see about 5.5Kw/h! So being that she mostly does short trips and the AC is running on high at most times, her consumption is crazy.
On another note, to see if it was her driving style, we did a 150mi round trip where I drove, no more than 5mph over the speed limit, and I achieved 371 wh/mi
Point here: MX HVAC is an energy hog!!!
View attachment 185043

Honestly, I'm surprised it isn't higher. My Volt can pull 5 kW for the HVAC and fans (both cabin and radiator) during a heat soaked summer start.

I also don't know why this would be different from the S or surprising to anyone - max HVAC takes a lot of power, and cooling a superheated car isn't easy.

The X has a bigger cabin which presumably takes more energy to cool, but it shouldn't be that different.

Nothing I see in your post suggests a problem or bad design to me.

 

[cclaygo]

I'm not a great resource on this...I never pay attention to the kW, honestly I don't really understand it. I just look at the miles and make sure I never drop below 50. With that said, my goal was to drive it like any other car by running the a/c and driving at the speed I normally would. I'm afraid if I learn that I'm losing too many miles then I would drive differently....hence the ignorance.

 

[K-MTG]

My SC told me this weekend that they don't know of any service fix for the compressor and that the super loud AC is normal. that AC is loud!!!

 

[cclaygo]

Try showing them the work order for my car. I attached it to this post...The fan should not be super noisy. After my fix the sound was much quieter, and even though I do not track my KW, I would suspect that the fact it isn't working as hard I am saving battery life.

 

[K-MTG]

Try showing them the work order for my car. I attached it to this post...The fan should not be super noisy. After my fix the sound was much quieter, and even though I do not track my KW, I would suspect that the fact it isn't working as hard I am saving battery life.View attachment 185092

My AC isn't inadequate, it is just loud. Wow, it is crazy that switched AC lines was able to pass inspection for delivery

 

[cclaygo]

There is quite a few with the same issue...your A/C may be loud for a similar reason. Mine was loud and no longer is. The correction made it quieter than my S A/C was. I was speaking with a new Model S owner the other day and they were surprised how quite my A/C was. Has anyone ever said that about a Model X before? I think not!

 

[xkwizit]

There is quite a few with the same issue...your A/C may be loud for a similar reason. Mine was loud and no longer is. The correction made it quieter than my S A/C was. I was speaking with a new Model S owner the other day and they were surprised how quite my A/C was. Has anyone ever said that about a Model X before? I think not!

I discussed this with my SC and they had checked already for crossed lines etc that are mentioned in your service order and they didn't see those issues with my car but still the AC is loud. Sometimes when you're standing next to it in the garage and it begins to precondition, it jumps you with the realllllly loud noise. But the Shop Foreman believes it's normal operations. It maybe normal operations for the car but not a normal experience for the user.

 

[xkwizit]

Sent email to TM requesting escalation and update. Anyone else facing this issue, please write to [email protected]
"I would like to get an update on this issue. The cooling fan on Model X is embarrassingly loud and inconvenient. I cannot do a conversation standing next to my car when the fan begins to run high. I already mentioned previously how I have to compete with the noise from the fan when placing a drive thru order.

This is not normal user experience for any car and definitely not for an electric car. I am requesting escalation."

 

[Keith]

Sent email to TM requesting escalation and update. Anyone else facing this issue, please write to [email protected]
"I would like to get an update on this issue. The cooling fan on Model X is embarrassingly loud and inconvenient. I cannot do a conversation standing next to my car when the fan begins to run high. I already mentioned previously how I have to compete with the noise from the fan when placing a drive thru order.

This is not normal user experience for any car and definitely not for an electric car. I am requesting escalation."

I would love to hear an update about this, the A/C on my X is embarrassingly loud as well, even on moderately warm days..

 

[emchen]

Sent email to TM requesting escalation and update. Anyone else facing this issue, please write to [email protected]
"I would like to get an update on this issue. The cooling fan on Model X is embarrassingly loud and inconvenient. I cannot do a conversation standing next to my car when the fan begins to run high. I already mentioned previously how I have to compete with the noise from the fan when placing a drive thru order.

This is not normal user experience for any car and definitely not for an electric car. I am requesting escalation."

Our MX75D's AC conked out after about a week of ownership, preceded by loud fan noise whenever rear climate control was on. Please let us know the result of your escalation, as I plan to cite the work order @cclaygo kindly posted last summer and would like knowledge of your resolution. Thanks in advance.