Climate Control: Heating Capacity and Impact on Range?

[Cogs79]

One important thing to be aware of… The Macan has a heat pump. This will consume less energy to heat the car than would a resistive heater. As such, they’re a great technology to have in an EV.

The only catch is that they do not work well below a certain temperature. Does the Macan have a resistive heater that kicks in below a certain temperature? Sorry, I can’t answer that one.

For quick reference, I drove my Macan 4 in -17 C weather, and the cabin was toasty hot (21 C/Auto for front passengers). In fact I leave it at 20.0C/Auto for the front passengers, and I turn off the 4-zone climate control for the rear passengers.

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[W1NGE]

Heating on, 50km less range, eco plus about 20km less range. Eco plus is just to keep windows fog free it does not really heat (sometimes it does but not reliable / minimal guess it keeps heating when I switch from heating to eco plus).

Eco plus will not dry the air as the AC compressor is running at the minimum and so moisturewill take a long time to dissipate. Eco will be better with more drying.

I didn't see Eco Plus on the Macan simulator unlike the Taycan.

 

[Wivenhoe]

I believe the Taycan has Eco & Eco Plus but the Macan just has Eco. My Lexus RZ had an Eco setting and with heated seats and radiant heating it warm enough (in the UK) and range only dropped by about 10 miles, full heating / aircon dropped about 30. I was hoping that Eco Plus would be the same but by the sound of it it’s just a means of getting fresh air in.

 

[byebye]

Sorry, but I would like to be sure:

is it better regarding efficiency to heat:
1. With A/C on
2. With A/C off (so the heating is done through some resistance with very very bad efficiency)

 

[Yves]

Eco plus will not dry the air as the AC compressor is running at the minimum and so moisturewill take a long time to dissipate. Eco will be better with more drying.

I didn't see Eco Plus on the Macan simulator unlike the Taycan.

I use it to de fog and Eco plus does the job, well are winter here, not that cooled around 0 - 5C and wet and no problem in using Eco to get clear windows …

 

[USMA81]

An under-appreciated factor on range is the color of the car. This site shares research that lighter colors result in higher fuel efficiency due to lower cooling loads. Presumably a darker color is better in higher latitudes/altitudes for the opposite reason (not discussed). Also presumably this research, which was done on ICE vehicle colors, applies at some level to BEV’s.

https://eta.lbl.gov/news/11089/cool-colors-for-cars-could-improve-fuel-economy-reduce-emissions

 

[krissrock]

Sorry, but I would like to be sure:

is it better regarding efficiency to heat:
1. With A/C on
2. With A/C off (so the heating is done through some resistance with very very bad efficiency)

i would think the A/C OFF is better for efficiency, as you wouldn't have the car running yet another motor (compressor). it's the same with ICE vehicles. The compressor adds a load on the engine...
However, i would suggest forgetting about effeciency and use the "A/C" compressor if you need it. if it's humid out, you don't want the inside to get humid and the windows fogging up...so just use it based on weather conditions

 

[rcomeau]

what temperature is it in LA?

you're still in the 40's, 50's and 60's....
It was a couple weeks of highs in the teens here. Like 17 degrees..! Lows close to zero!
It takes a good amount of energy and time to heat a cabin and all things in it to a comfortable temperature...

Are you taking long trips or just commuting and charging at home? If the latter, then the real-life impact of losing a few miles of range is negligible. Instead of plugging in once a week, you end up plugging every 5 days. That’s winter. Longer trips does mean more stops, but once you are moving, I assume there is a heat pump to scavenge heat that will reduce the impact (as opposed to many short cycles where all the energy is used to reheat a cold car rather than maintain it once warm).

 

[Petzi]

the range info is a snapshot
when it is cold turn the ac to heat at a high level
it needs a bit longer then you are used from ice
as soon the car is worm, the range info will go back to normal
on a long trip it makes hardly a difference
on a short trip it is no problem
this is a heatpump, it operates like any other heatpump.

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