Climate Control System

  • Thread starter Thread starter Timothy
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 12
  • Views Views 2K
Timothy

Timothy

Active Member
I think we have mastered most of the advanced features of the Clarity, but some aspects of the Climate Control System are still baffling (even after reading both the manual and the guide (I still don't understand why there are two documents)).

If you just want the fan to push fresh air (with no heat), how do you do this? Do you just set the temperature to low (or if it is 30 outside will it try to heat the car to whatever 'low' is?)? This seems to work but shouldn't there be a way to turn the heat off and not just set it to low?

When you turn on the front window defrost does it turn the heat on as well or do you have to do that by turning the temperature control knob?

On a hot day if your temperature is set to low (and you were not using the the AC last time you drove) will the AC turn on when you start the fan? This seems to happen but we are not sure.

Should the climate control screen show the AC as either on or off? Often neither on screen button is highlighted and when I tap the off button it stays that way with neither highlighted.

I feel like I could go on and on. So any advice or tips at all about the climate control system would be appreciated. To be clear, we love our Clarity, but it's been hard to tell at times weather the heat or AC is on or off (we assume both are off when the fan is off).
 
I too find the climate controls to be a pain in the neck. No easy way to get just ambient air circulation with no heat or a/c. I have to select lowest temp and manually hit a/c off every time I get in the car. Otherwise hitting fan speed up button seems to turn on a/c with temp set low. But if I use the fan on/off button it resumes the previous fan speed and a/c on or off and the on or off touch screen button is now lit. If fan is off and I push fan up physical button, then the a/c on/off buttons don’t light up but it feels like the a/c is on. I then push the a/c off button to get it lit so I know it’s off. So it’s an evolution for me to get just ambient air flow since I normally keep the fan off.
I just look to temp digits above the info screen and if it says low (not a number) then no heat is being called for (at least down to mid 30s-lowest temp I’ve seen since purchasing).
And yes, with fan off, no a/c or heat is being called for.
The front defrost temp is slaved to temp setting. Only used once and seemed to call for a/c as well which is what my old crv used to do. But with out a readily visible a/c on light who knows. Going by feel it did seem to turn on a/c with temp set to low so I could feel it get cooler. Again neither a/c on or off touch button was lit. I could hit the a/c off button and get it to light up and stop a/c. Makes sense as a/c and heat together will clear moisture faster. At least in my old crv, it was easier to turn off the a/c.
Honda should have made this easier for us.
 
I assumed if you turn on the fan, with the A/C off you'd simply have blowing air. I suppose you have to set the temperature low so the heat doesn't come on.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I too find the climate controls to be a pain in the neck. No easy way to get just ambient air circulation with no heat or a/c. I have to select lowest temp and manually hit a/c off every time I get in the car. Otherwise hitting fan speed up button seems to turn on a/c with temp set low. But if I use the fan on/off button it resumes the previous fan speed and a/c on or off and the on or off touch screen button is now lit. If fan is off and I push fan up physical button, then the a/c on/off buttons don’t light up but it feels like the a/c is on. I then push the a/c off button to get it lit so I know it’s off. So it’s an evolution for me to get just ambient air flow since I normally keep the fan off.
I just look to temp digits above the info screen and if it says low (not a number) then no heat is being called for (at least down to mid 30s-lowest temp I’ve seen since purchasing).
And yes, with fan off, no a/c or heat is being called for.
The front defrost temp is slaved to temp setting. Only used once and seemed to call for a/c as well which is what my old crv used to do. But with out a readily visible a/c on light who knows. Going by feel it did seem to turn on a/c with temp set to low so I could feel it get cooler. Again neither a/c on or off touch button was lit. I could hit the a/c off button and get it to light up and stop a/c. Makes sense as a/c and heat together will clear moisture faster. At least in my old crv, it was easier to turn off the a/c.
Honda should have made this easier for us.
Click to expand...

Thanks. On one hand I feel validated about being confused, on the other hand I really wish I was just missing something obvious. In an ICE vehicle I don't think twice about heat coming on when I turn on the fan, but in the Clarity I know that it will reduce my EV miles which I irrationally treasure.
 
Timothy said:
Thanks. On one hand I feel validated about being confused, on the other hand I really wish I was just missing something obvious. In an ICE vehicle I don't think twice about heat coming on when I turn on the fan, but in the Clarity I know that it will reduce my EV miles which I irrationally treasure.
Click to expand...
It has become an almost an unending quest to use the least EV miles in all circumstances...again, another hold over from my Prius days...
 
I think I found a somewhat of a solution to not running the heater or a/c by accident.
Set temp to lowest.
Set fan speed and source to what you consider your default settings.
Push a/c off on touch screen.
Then without using fan speed buttons, turn fan on and off with the physical fan on/off button.
This gives me fan with no heat or a/c usage every time.
If I use the fan speed physical buttons it seems to call for heat or a/c based on the temp setting.

I share your irrational fear of using the ICE. I’m not hyper miling but I am driving to get the best mpg-e I can with “normal” driving. I’m also trying to get a bench mark of what EV range is possible with no electrical draw other than motive power. That way, when I start using the a/c, I can tell pretty much how that affects range.
I’m getting around mid to high 50s of EV range now between seasons with no heat or a/c usage (mostly day and dry). It went briefly to 50 when heater accidentally came on for just a short time. In my relatively flat area, EV range and actual driving range to depletion are tracking very closely.
Love this car-only 2 gal in 1,000 miles.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I think I found a somewhat of a solution to not running the heater or a/c by accident.
Set temp to lowest.
Set fan speed and source to what you consider your default settings.
Push a/c off on touch screen.
Then without using fan speed buttons, turn fan on and off with the physical fan on/off button.
This gives me fan with no heat or a/c usage every time.
If I use the fan speed physical buttons it seems to call for heat or a/c based on the temp setting.

I share your irrational fear of using the ICE. I’m not hyper miling but I am driving to get the best mpg-e I can with “normal” driving. I’m also trying to get a bench mark of what EV range is possible with no electrical draw other than motive power. That way, when I start using the a/c, I can tell pretty much how that affects range.
I’m getting around mid to high 50s of EV range now between seasons with no heat or a/c usage (mostly day and dry). It went briefly to 50 when heater accidentally came on for just a short time. In my relatively flat area, EV range and actual driving range to depletion are tracking very closely.
Love this car-only 2 gal in 1,000 miles.
Click to expand...
I may have to take that back as I was doing this sitting in the driveway. When restarting it seems to reset. So this works but only until you turn off, then you have to go back to climate screen and do it all over. I’m still working on this.
Honda has not made this easy!
 
Note to Honda: Bring back a dedicated A/C on/off button don't make me press Climate and then A/C on/off on the screen. Why do you give us a fresh air button and a re-circ button. One is enough: re-circ on/off. In place of the fresh air button, use that space for an a/c on/off button.
 
Steven B said:
Note to Honda: Bring back a dedicated A/C on/off button don't make me press Climate and then A/C on/off on the screen. Why do you give us a fresh air button and a re-circ button. One is enough: re-circ on/off. In place of the fresh air button, use that space for an a/c on/off button.
Click to expand...

Touchscreen craze that they are now getting over with the newer designs. There should also be a MAX AC mode.
 
I haven't driven in hot weather yet, but so far I use either auto or off. I generally like to use fan only in my cars so that is annoying if it doesn't have that.

However, my wife is the primary driver of the Clarity and she hasn't complained about heater or climate yet. However, she tends to just use auto mode and never touch it other than tweak the temperature.

I should note, that it has mostly been cold when we have had it though, I don't think it has seen more than 60 F yet ;)
 
The weather here has been in the mid 70s a few times and I also like to run the fan only. So I take it off auto, set the temp at low and turn off the AC. Works great and it remembers the setting when you power off the car. You control the fan speed with the fan up and down buttons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top