Running heat without AC/Dehumidification ON all the time

[Anonymous]

Hi - has someone figured out how to run the heat, but turning off the AC function. This is a very basic functionality I can't figure out. Am I missing something? All of the gas powered car I know have this option in one way or the other. In the winter most of the time no de-humidification is required when running the heat. I'm not sure why the AC needs to be turned on all the time and drain the battery like crazy. It is not like this car has abundance of energy on-board.
Thanks

 

[kevin]

Hi - has someone figured out how to run the heat, but turning off the AC function. This is a very basic functionality I can't figure out. Am I missing something? All of the gas powered car I know have this option in one way or the other. In the winter most of the time no de-humidification is required when running the heat. I'm not sure why the AC needs to be turned on all the time and drain the battery like crazy. It is not like this car has abundance of energy on-board.
Thanks

Why do you think the A/C is on?

The heater is what uses the power - up to 7kW or so.

 

[NORTON]

Think of that button as 'Climate Control'. It's either Heat or AC as required, depending on the cabin temp and what interior temp you have it set to.

The Volt has an 'Auto-defog' function that controls humidity by running the AC compressor when it's humid. It is configurable and can be turned off.

I'm not sure if this feature is in the Spark EV.

Anyone?

EDIT: Even if the Spark EV has a humidity sensor and runs the AC compressor for "Defog", when all you want is heat, it is not going to run constantly. It would cycle according to the humidity sensor.

 

[ImTedBell]

We have a humidity sensor. It is located behind the rear view mirror.

 

[Redpoint5]

This is a tangent thought to this thread, but I defog my Prius plug-in windows with a sock I filled with silica gel litter. It dries the cabin air so that my need for defogging is greatly reduced. With my very limited EV range, I need all the electrons I can get to occasionally make my commute without burning any fuel.

 

[Casualsurfer]

This is a tangent thought to this thread, but I defog my Prius plug-in windows with a sock I filled with silica gel litter. It dries the cabin air so that my need for defogging is greatly reduced. With my very limited EV range, I need all the electrons I can get to occasionally make my commute without burning any fuel.

Can you recommend a brand? I'm interested in this solution. Thank you!

 

[SparkMoore]

Yes, please elaborate on the litter solution. Do you wipe the glass, or just set the sock in front of the windshield?

 

[Redpoint5]

I bought Fresh Results at Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fresh-Results-Crystal-Cat-Litter-8-lbs/39881089.

Then I filled an orphaned sock with as much as I could get in there and stuck it on the dash under the windshield. I'm guessing it isn't necessary to place it in the windshield since the idea is that it dries the air in the whole cabin.

It seems to help a lot, but I imagine I'll need to run the defrost when temperatures get even colder and I have more passengers breathing and fogging up the windows.

From what I've read, the silica gel will get saturated in a couple months and either need replacing, or drying out in an oven.

After I'm satisfied of this proof of concept, I'll have my wife sew a tube of fabric the width of the dash, fill it with silica gel, and have a Velcro closure.

 

[Nashco]

It's not a new concept, folks have been putting these in humid places for decades. I've used them when storing cars.

http://www.drizair.com/

It's an interesting idea if there was a nice, robust way to hold the silica (in some easily replaceable cartridge, for example) and you wanted to use it for special trips when you know the battery needs all the help it can get.

Bryce