I have not used heat since i got my 580 eqs in spring time.. so my question is if I use Auto mode and set the temp to 75F the AC button is lit on.. do i leave it on or turn the AC off.. I try to use the heat this morning and it was barely heating the inside and did not have too much time to play with as it was a short trip... Just wanted to know what you guys do to have the heat on properly. Thanks.

 

Yes, the AC turns on automatically as far as I remember when using Auto. That's how it's supposed to work. It's an automatic climate control. You set your desired temperature, turn on the AC and set it to Auto. It'll do the rest. It'll cool or heat as necessary to maintain the set temperature. The AC compressor will automatically disengage if not needed. Keep in mind, AC is not just about cooling. It's about conditioning the air, which includes removing humidity. You leave it on even in the winter or when it rains. Keeps your windows from fogging up. Too many people constantly fiddle with the HVAC in these modern cars. They are meant to be used like your thermostat in your house. Leave it alone once you set the desired temperature.

Now having said that, in an EV this means it sucks energy from the battery. One of the many downsides of EVs, but it is what it is. You either have a pleasant and comfortable climate in your interior or you are hypermiling and sweating/freezing your butt off.

 

Thanks for the reply.. yes it works as described and as designed.. I tried it again and all is good and yes it sucks battery... if set at 75F once turned on it decreased the range by 25-30 miles

 

Yep, it does. I usually turn my temperature setting down to 68 in Winter, and keep it at 72 the rest of the year, here in Texas. Amazingly, the AC at 72 on a 100 degree day does not use as much battery as the heater set at 68 on a 50 degree day. Go figure.

 

Heat does use a lot of electricity apparently, did I recall correctly or some EQS didn't have a heat pump? That might be a reason too.

 

I think the heat pump was not introduced to the EQS until sometime in 2024.
The EQE SUV had it from the beginning of production in 2023, however.

 

ACs are also used to help remove moisture and help prevent windows from fogging up in cold months.

But figuring out MB logic is well difficult at best

 

I see, thanks for confirming.

 

https://www.greencars.com/news/merce...re-range-power

 

NOT to start an EV/Dino war...yes, the AC compressor will take battery. If you think (way, WAY) back. When AC was first coming on the scene - we had to turn off the AC to go up hills as it took power from the engine. Heck, we had a car that would over heat with the AC on and then have to turn on the heater to cool the car.

In Heat mode the AC is effectively acting as a dehumidifier.

 

Actually no EV/Dino war needed when AC is discussed. AC consumes equally energy on both cars. Heating is mostly "free" on a ICE car, using waste heat from the engine.

 

Remember the little vent doors we used to open on the VW beetles to get heat......then if you changed speed, you had to adjust it all over again. Ah.....the memories!

 

Yes, of course HVAC uses energy in an ICE, too, but the point is that it's largely inconsequential. The days of ICE with underdimensioned cooling systems or big block engines that made ridiculously little power for their displacement are long gone. The impact of HVAC on EV range is not a design problem that is yet to be solved. A heat pump is about the most efficient way to heat a space, and AC is just a heat pump run in reverse. It's worst in the winter when the cold temperatures already take a big chunk of range out of the battery. Battery technology will hopefully improve so at least cold temperatures won't have as much of an impact anymore, but it looks like the hyped solid state batteries are DOA already. Not living up to the hype as so many things these days.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Many times the AC will kick on when you select defrost, regardless of the heater setting.

 

Yes, defrosting also automatically turns on the AC because as said it removes moisture from the air, which is what fogs up the windows in the first place, so the defroster becomes much more effective with AC turned on.

 

Remote start and heated steering wheels -- it's all beginning to make sense !!!

 

Not only that. But before automatic climate control we had to constantly fiddle with the hot/cold air mixture to stay comfortable. We probably all yanked it up on hot until everybody started to sweat in the car, then turn it back down, then up again. Basically there was never a correct setting. I don't miss those days.

 

When I was a kid, AC was a hand crank window and heat was a moth eaten Pendleton blanket. All you guys are way too uptown!

 

My parents would warm the car with the glowing tips of their cigarettes...windows rolled up. Then we had to make sure the floor vents were closed...and rear defrosters, not even a dream......