Monday, July 18, 2011

14. Starting the AC Remotely Is GREAT - Especially During a Heat Wave!

I've commented several times about the LEAF's superb air conditioning.  The compressor is electrically driven (no fan belt); so it's not dependent on engine RPM and begins maximum cooling the moment it's turned on.  Just for fun I've been monitoring the AC vent output air with an inexpensive thermometer probe, the type used by AC service techs.


Like much of the country, Texas has been running temperatures of 100+ every day for several weeks.  After my LEAF has been parked in the sun for a few hours, I usually measure a temperature of about 140 degrees in the AC vent.  The moment I turn on the AC, the temperature of the air from the vent plummets rapidly, typically reaching about 40 degrees (!) within a couple of minutes.  This blast of instant "coolth" is truly delightful on a hot day.


Even better, though, I can start my LEAF's AC remotely with a couple of taps on my iPhone; so the car is already nice and cool by the time I get into it.  It's a real luxury to get into a pre-cooled car the end of the workday or after spending an hour in Home Depot.


Does pre-cooling use up too much energy from the LEAF's battery?  Not at all.  The electricity drain from running the AC is negligible compared to the enormous energy required to actually propel this 3,500# car for 100 miles (the estimated battery range).  Once the cabin has been fully cooled (in about 5 minutes) the AC throttles back, and the power monitor then indicates that the AC is only reducing the total range by an insignificant 3 miles.


"Range Anxiety" has proven to be an absolute non-issue for me.  I've found the LEAF's range to be far more than I can possibly use up in a full day of normal intra-city driving.  As a matter of fact, I've set my LEAF to charge itself only to 80% of total capacity on weekdays (which is supposed to improve the longevity of the battery).  On weekends I charge to 100%; since I drive more and never want to run low.  For occasional longer trips out of town I take my Lexus.