This week, the temperature will significantly increase in many parts of the country, reaching up to 30℃, and people will soon enter the “air conditioning gives us life” mode. Before the temperature rises, I have sorted out the problems that everyone has encountered in air conditioning use, including the use of cold air and warm air, to provide you with some answers. The questions are pre-ordered for the convenience of everyone to find the questions they want to ask.
- What is the A/C button used for?
- How much energy does air conditioning cooling and heating consume?
- How to quickly adjust the temperature and air volume of the air conditioning?
- What is the SYNC button used for?
- Why do I receive a message about limited use of air conditioning?
- How to quickly remove fog from the car window?
- What is the function of the internal and external circulation modes?
- How long does the remote air conditioning operate once it is turned on?
- Can the second-row air conditioning be automatically turned off when the passenger leaves the car?
- How to control a child playing with the air conditioning buttons or shouting in the back row?
- Why does water drip from the front of the car and the right rear of the car body?
- How often should the air conditioning filter be replaced?
- How to prevent strange smells from air conditioning after the rainy season?
1. What is the A/C button used for?
On the air conditioning screen of the Ideal ONE, there is a button called “air conditioning” and another called “A/C”. Everyone can easily understand the function of the air conditioning button, but some car owners may have questions about A/C. Actually, A/C also means “air conditioning” literally, but you can simply understand that A/C is equivalent to the “cooling” switch, because it is related to the operation logic of the air conditioning compressor, and the air conditioning compressor on the car is only responsible for cooling, not heating, and has a part of the dehumidifying function.
According to the above description, let’s take a look at the use of A/C in our driving scenario.
If you need cooling: press the air conditioning button to automatically link with the A/C and start cooling the car interior.
If you need fresh air with windows open: press the air conditioning button to turn off the A/C, and the car will be ventilated with natural wind.
If you need heating: press the air conditioning button to automatically link with the A/C and, depending on the current vehicle status, perform PTC electric heating or range extender residual heat heating.
Some car owners may ask, why do we need to keep A/C on when heating? Because A/C also has a dehumidifying function when the ambient temperature is not lower than 0℃, which reduces the humidity of the air blown out of the car vent and alleviates the problem of glass fogging.Actually, there are only two reasons why people want to turn off the A/C when heating. Firstly, they might find the working sound annoying, and secondly, they may worry about the electricity consumption. However, keeping the A/C switch on allows the compressor to operate only when needed, which does not mean that the compressor is always working. It is like a standby indicator light, and the system will automatically determine whether to turn on the compressor. In situations other than ventilation through open windows, I suggest that users keep the A/C switch open and linked to the air conditioning button, which is more worry-free. Of course, if they want to turn off the A/C, that is also fine.
2. How much energy do air conditioning cooling and air conditioning heating consume?
The energy consumption of air conditioning cooling is much less than that of PTC electric heating. Let’s start with heating energy consumption. The rated power of the front-row air conditioning electric heating is 5kW, and that of the rear-row air conditioning electric heating is 2.5kW. This is the maximum consumption value of electric heating air conditioning. Based on this, turning on the front and rear air conditioning for one hour will consume up to 7.5 degrees of electricity (actually not so much because it will not continuously heat at the maximum power), which accounts for about 23% of the displayed electricity. Inaccurate conversions show that running the electric heating air conditioning for one hour is equivalent to reducing the battery’s electricity by about 20+ kilometers of pure electric cruising range.
The cooling function of air conditioning will not be as exaggerated as heating. The automatic air conditioning system efficiency of LI ONE is very high, and the energy consumption of the air conditioning system depends on the set temperature. The greater the difference between the set temperature and the ambient temperature, the higher the energy consumption of the air conditioning. Although there is no specific power value, in my own experience, setting the air conditioning to 22℃ in pure electric mode reduces cruising range by about 10% during cooling and about 40% during heating.
After all, it is much easier to reduce the temperature from 30℃ ambient temperature to 22℃ inside the car than to increase the temperature from -10℃ to 22℃.
3. How to quickly adjust the temperature and air volume of the air conditioning?
In fact, the touch screen experience of adjusting the air conditioning may not be as good as physical buttons or keys, but the air conditioning screen on LI ONE has set up a blind operation logic. You can simply swipe horizontally with your fingers to adjust the air volume and swipe vertically to adjust the temperature. This greatly enhances the convenience of the touch screen air conditioning interaction, and the product managers deserve a big thumbs up.
When you swipe on the air conditioning screen, you may notice that the instrument screen on the right side will display the corresponding air volume or temperature gear you are currently sliding. The product managers have thought it through very carefully.
4. What is the function of SYNC temperature zone synchronization?Open the front air conditioning or expand the air conditioning screen quick panel, and there is a “SYNC Temperature Zone Synchronization” button which can adjust the temperature of the three temperature zones in the car with the master driver.
Once clicked, the temperature in the secondary and third-row area will be kept consistent with the master driver’s settings, avoiding the trouble of adjusting the temperature zone one by one.
5. Why does my air conditioning prompt me that its use is restricted?
When the battery level is below 8%, the air conditioning system may be restricted from use.
Generally speaking, it is difficult for the battery to drop to such a low level, but it may occur in some special situations. For example, in case of low battery levels and overnight stops in -18°C outdoor temperature or low battery levels when climbing hills, it might drop below 8%. When the vehicle is parked for a long time, the vehicle will limit its electrical function to ensure the vehicle’s driving, so the air conditioning is not available. When the range extender replenishes some electricity, it can be restored.
6. How to quickly defog the windshield?
The A/C button to the left of the air conditioning screen is the defogging button for the windshield. Clicking it will automatically set the air conditioning to the strongest defogging mode, such as changing the air volume to the 7th gear and aiming the wind toward the front windshield, which facilitates efficient defogging. In addition, the rear window defogging and the external rearview mirror heating are the same button, located to the right of the A/C button.
7. What is the function of both the internal and external air recirculation modes?
8. How long does the air conditioning run once it has been turned on remotely via a mobile phone?
On the control screen of the ideal car app, whether you choose to turn on the air conditioning, quick cooling or heating, it will be turned off after running for 15 minutes.
9. After a passenger gets off the car but the second-row air conditioning is still on, can it be turned off automatically?
Click on the “Rear” button on the air conditioning screen, and there is an option for automatic shutdown. The logic is that if no one is detected in the second row for 10 minutes, the rear air conditioning will be automatically turned off. You can choose whether to turn it on according to your own usage.
10. How to prevent misoperation of the rear air conditioning button?
Same as the “Rear” button, there is a rear air conditioning lock option. When this option is enabled, the buttons on the rear air conditioning control area behind the central armrest of the second row will become invalid, and only the front seat passengers can operate the rear air conditioning. If accidental touches are frequent, the rear air conditioning lock can be turned on.
11. What is the reason for the water dripping from the front of the vehicle and the right rear side of the body?
The water dripping from the right rear side of the vehicle is caused by the condensate generated by the air conditioning. This is because the IDEAL ONE has two sets of air conditioning systems (HAVC) for the front and rear respectively, and the rear HAVC is located on the right rear side of the vehicle. Therefore, this phenomenon is normal.
12. How often should the air conditioning filter be replaced?
According to the maintenance manual, it is recommended to replace it once a year. It is no problem to follow this cycle, which can better maintain the air quality in the car. Moreover, the air conditioning filter is included in the PLUS membership now, and it is convenient to replace it together with the vehicle maintenance.
13. How to prevent the air conditioning from producing odor after the rainy season?
During the rainy season from July to August every year, the air is relatively humid. After entering the autumn, the frequency of air conditioning cooling decreases because the air conditioning is used less frequently. At this time, the ventilation ducts or the evaporator may produce odors. To reduce the probability of odor production, you can set the air conditioning to the highest temperature and maximum airflow before the rainy season is about to end, and blow the air for about 5 minutes to achieve the effect of hot air drying and reduce residual moisture.
That’s all about air conditioning use. Feel free to share and bookmark this page, and please leave your questions in the comments section if you have any.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.