Climate Control Performance

S

Steven B

Active Member
Not sure if others have posted a similar test, but here's mine.

Conditions:
Full sun overhead, typical paved parking lot, dark green Clarity, beige leather, windshield sunshade, no window tinting, rear seatbacks down (black carpeting)

Outside temp per Wunderground
Inside temp per Hondalink App

3:06P Climate Control started
-Outside: 95, Inside: 127
3:16P Outside: 95, Inside: 99
3:26P Outside: 95, Inside: 91
3:36P Climate Control Stopped
-Failed to get instantaneous inside temp

4:39P Climate Control started
-Outside: 95, Inside: 109
5:02P Outside: 95, Inside: 84

So for my tastes, on a typical 'hot' sunny day, the system needs at least 20 minutes to get the interior near comfortable.

Does anyone know WHERE the thermocouple is inside the vehicle measuring the temp? I know when I remove the sunshade, the fan ramps up, so at least the light detector up on the dash near the windshield seems to play a role in the climate control system response.
 
Steven B said:
So for my tastes, on a typical 'hot' sunny day, the system needs at least 20 minutes to get the interior near comfortable.
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I've seen as high as 135f interior already but 5-10 minutes cooling is more than enough for me to feel fine. Getting the inner dash and vents chilled so the cold air is actually cold when it comes out is what's really important to me.

Steven B said:
the fan ramps up, so at least the light detector up on the dash near the windshield seems to play a role in the climate control system response.
Click to expand...

Oh, indeed it does. In fact, it's becoming a minor pet peeve for me. Turn away from the sun, fan speed drops fast even tho' I'd still want it cranked; kinda' like a too sensitive auto volume level that's either too quiet or too loud.

First world problems, yo! ;)
 
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Another parameter for the above test that I failed to mention: I believe the temperature setting was on 72F and my understanding is that this is the state of the system when you invoke remote climate (whatever the temperature setting was when the system was last on).
 
Steven B said:
Another parameter for the above test that I failed to mention: I believe the temperature setting was on 72F and my understanding is that this is the state of the system when you invoke remote climate (whatever the temperature setting was when the system was last on).
Click to expand...
That's what we don't know, or at least I don't, I have heard different things and haven't had a chance to test it. However I have got to believe that remote climate automatically switches to recirculate even if you left it set to fresh, if not that would be a real faux pas in the design.

Any reason why you had the rear seats down other than trying to create worst case conditions? Since having them down increases the volume that you are cooling.

Might seem trivial but it also might make a difference if the rear seat vents are open. Although closing them might actually be worse assuming the temp sensors are all in the front, it would cool the front down faster causing it to lower the fan speed sooner. Then again you would be absorbing more heat from the front interior plastic and leather possibly making it more comfortable when you get in.
 
2002 said:
That's what we don't know, or at least I don't, I have heard different things and haven't had a chance to test it. However I have got to believe that remote climate automatically switches to recirculate even if you left it set to fresh, if not that would be a real faux pas in the design.

Any reason why you had the rear seats down other than trying to create worst case conditions? Since having them down increases the volume that you are cooling.

Might seem trivial but it also might make a difference if the rear seat vents are open. Although closing them might actually be worse assuming the temp sensors are all in the front, it would cool the front down faster causing it to lower the fan speed sooner. Then again you would be absorbing more heat from the front interior plastic and leather possibly making it more comfortable when you get in.
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1) Rear seats down since I carry a bicycle most days. But, yes, would be worst case scenario versus a smaller volume and less dark material exposure.
2) Rear seat vents do not fully close. Only the two high ones can be closed; there are two more, one to each side covering the floor space, that cannot be closed AFAIK.
3) One state that I still don't know if better or worse would be to crack the windows 1 inch and then turn on remote CC. Is this better or worse for first 10 minutes of cooling? If only we could remotely raise them back up, I'd probably do this step more often.
 
This is great experimental data, thanks.

I'm someone who likes it cool inside in general (72-73 in a house/office), and I find that 10-15 minutes of remote cooling on a hot (90-100 degree day) makes a very pleasant entry into the car. In my mind it doesn't have to bring the ambient all the way to 72 to be worthwhile -- just having the steering wheel, seats, seatbelts, etc cool from air blowing on them, and having the AC system already chilled so when I start the car I'm feeling cold air instantly makes a huge pleasant difference, even if the actual temperature is still in the 80s.

I HATE that you have to remember to turn the AC on before getting out of the car or the remote climate does nothing but circulate hot air around; a glaring bug/oversight in my mind.

Generally in a car I dislike "auto" climate control; I prefer to tweak the temperature coming out of the vents and the fan speed to my liking based on sun on me, what I'm wearing, how I'm feeling, etc, rather than target a specific ambient temperature as I would in a true indoor space. Using the temperature to clip the AC temperature is semi-acceptable, but I *really* never want to be blasted by expensive electric heat in the morning just because it's 65 in the car and I had the cooling temp set to 70 the afternoon before.
 
JCA said:
Using the temperature to clip the AC temperature is semi-acceptable, but I *really* never want to be blasted by expensive electric heat in the morning just because it's 65 in the car and I had the cooling temp set to 70 the afternoon before.
Click to expand...

Very high on my wish list for improvements to the Clarity is to add to the Climate screen a "Heat OFF" control analogous to the "A/C OFF" control. I'd settle for an "air only, neither heated nor cooled" option.

This is one of those places where the user interface carried forward from traditional gas engine vehicles is inappropriate for a PHEV. The "set the temperature to LO" workaround (making sure A/C hasn't turned itself on) works, but is obnoxious IMO.
 
My wife and I decided to fly rather than drive 3000 miles round trip on this summer's vacation. We lucked out because old number 1244 finally had a problem. Both batteries retained their charge (I left 50% on the HV), but, our Clarity's air conditioner was dead after we returned. That drive would have been very unpleasant without an a/c. The dealer's checking it out now.
 
insightman said:
My wife and I decided to fly rather than drive 3000 miles round trip on this summer's vacation. We lucked out because old number 1244 finally had a problem. Both batteries retained their charge (I left 50% on the HV), but, our Clarity's air conditioner was dead after we returned. That drive would have been very unpleasant without an a/c. The dealer's checking it out now.
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And I was just bragging about how good the A/C is in the Clarity. It's all perspective.
 
Heat index has been between 105-110F due to high dew points from the rain we received in the spring. I've had to alternate between recirculate and fresh to keep the interior comfortable in my Clarity. It still works better than my Subaru Outback which struggled to keep such a large interior cooled off in summer.
 
FWIW, my ac has been phenomenal in Econ in temps in the low to mid 90s. I get plenty of cooling and the fan is almost always on the lowest or next to lowest speed with temp set at 72 to 78 F. I do have the rear and far passenger side vents closed so I get all the flow. And even better, it’s only costing me ~4 miles of EV range per full charge. It only takes seconds to start blasting Arctic cold air. Definitely the best AC in any car I’ve owned.
 
KentuckyKen said:
FWIW, my ac has been phenomenal in Econ in temps in the low to mid 90s. I get plenty of cooling and the fan is almost always on the lowest or next to lowest speed with temp set at 72 to 78 F. I do have the rear and far passenger side vents closed so I get all the flow. And even better, it’s only costing me ~4 miles of EV range per full charge. It only takes seconds to start blasting Arctic cold air. Definitely the best AC in any car I’ve owned.
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I wonder what the difference is in Econ mode, maybe it works the same but doesn't try as hard to exactly maintain the set temperature and allows a degree or two of leeway.

Prius Prime has an interesting system called Smart-Flow which you can turn on or off with a button. With Smart-Flow turned on it decreases air conditioning for the rear seats, and if it detects that there is no one sitting in the front passenger seat it directs most of the air to the driver.
 
I gave up on the automatic and just set the fan speed at four bars, with temp at 70.

I was disappointed when I felt hot air blowing on my face, because it was 65F outside.
 
I don’t use remote HVAC. When I get in the car and drive, even with the extreme temperatures we’re having right now, I’m really impressed with the cooling capacity. I do regularly adjust the fan speed higher. The software engineer who programmed the fan apparently didn’t take her dog for walks and get in needing more air movement, but that’s my only adjustment other than temp.
 
insightman said:
My wife and I decided to fly rather than drive 3000 miles round trip on this summer's vacation. We lucked out because old number 1244 finally had a problem. Both batteries retained their charge (I left 50% on the HV), but, our Clarity's air conditioner was dead after we returned. That drive would have been very unpleasant without an a/c. The dealer's checking it out now.
Click to expand...
Today, the dealer service department's dye test revealed our 6K mile Clarity has a leaky condenser. It will take 3 days to get a new one from Honda.
 
JCA said:
This is great experimental data, thanks.

I HATE that you have to remember to turn the AC on before getting out of the car or the remote climate does nothing but circulate hot air around; a glaring bug/oversight in my mind.
Click to expand...

You do not need to leave your AC on for remote climate to work. The car has pre-determined what it thinks the optimal temperature is inside the car and will adjust the fan speed and heat/ac to meet that temperature. If you set your AC to 75, it will still cool it to 65-68 or whatever the algorithm says. It you sit in the car on a hot day and turn the remote climate on, you will notice the fan blow more or less every so often to maintain that temperature.
 
insightman said:
Today, the dealer service department's dye test revealed our 6K mile Clarity has a leaky condenser. It will take 3 days to get a new one from Honda.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Rock hit? Physical damage of some sort? Factory defect? Bad connection? Bad time to be in A2 without working A/C !
 
Candice said:
You do not need to leave your AC on for remote climate to work. The car has pre-determined what it thinks the optimal temperature is inside the car and will adjust the fan speed and heat/ac to meet that temperature. If you set your AC to 75, it will still cool it to 65-68 or whatever the algorithm says. It you sit in the car on a hot day and turn the remote climate on, you will notice the fan blow more or less every so often to maintain that temperature.
Click to expand...

I thought so too until I experienced it then experimented. It's true that it doesn't matter what you have the temperature set to when you leave the car, but it does matter whether the AC is on or off on the climate screen. If it's off, the remote climate will "run", but without AC so it won't actually get cooler. Been there, gotten into the blazing hot car.

Note -- I don't use "Auto" climate, which seems to leave the AC in a different state (neither On nor Off is highlighted in the climate screen). In that state, I suspect it will cool correctly. But I don't want the car and chasing the single temperature setting (aggressively blasting me with expensive electric heat to try to get to 70 when it's pleasantly cool in the morning, nor aggressively using the AC to push down to 60 if I lower the temp to prevent that). If I could have separate settings for Heat vs Cool I'd set them to 58 and 70 and probably leave leave them there. And I much prefer to manage fan speed myself.
 
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